Edinburgh history

Edinburgh began as a mere fort.  The fort, which was located on Castle Rock, was captured by the English in the 7th century A.D. and then recaptured by the Scots in the 10th century.  During the English occupation, the fort was named Eiden’s burgh - a burgh was another word for “fort” at that time.  In the late 1000’s, Malcolm III had a castle erected on Castle Rock.  Less than 100 years later, the town of Edinburgh was a thriving community.  In 1128, Holyrood Abbey was built.

Beginning in 1296, Edinburgh caught the eye of the English once again and over the next century, the Scottish and the English battled constantly over the town.  This did not keep the area’s population from growing, though, and by the 1400’s Edinburgh was Scotland’s unofficial capital. 

In the mid 1500’s a wall was built to keep the English from invading the town again.  This did not work however and between 1547 and 1645, much devastation struck the area; including a sacking of the castle, a civil war, and two major outbreaks of the plague.  The town still prospered and in 1583, Edinburgh University opened.  Ten years later, Lauriston Castle was built.

King Charles I was crowned in Edinburgh, but quickly lost control of the Scottish people.  After a series of let-downs, the king tried to change the Scottish religion.  When an angry protester threw a stool at the Dean in St. Giles’ cathedral, a riot began and spread around to some of the other churches.  The English did occupy Edinburgh after the Battle of Dunbar in 1650, however they soon departed.

Edinburgh grew and continued to prosper, but by the early 1700’s the town was very overcrowded.  At that time, a new part of town was built.  Since the town did not have any major manufacturing industries, other than shipbuilding, Edinburgh eventually lost some of its importance to Glasgow during the 1800’s.  There were also two outbreaks of cholera between 1832 and 1849.  The town still grew in population, though, and during the mid 1800’s it received numerous immigrants from Ireland who were escaping the famine. 

During the following century, Edinburgh continued to avoid becoming an industrial city and it is still a haven for lawyers and other service professionals to this day.  In 1913, the Edinburgh Zoo opened and many museums and other community institutions, including the Edinburgh festival and the Museum of Childhood, have opened up since then.