Edinburgh had been a fortification and royal residence long before the twelfth century, but the reign of David I, king of Scots, marked a crucial turning point in the settlement’s urban development. David granted Edinburgh the legal privilege of ‘burgh’ status shortly after coming to the throne in 1124. A few years later, he began referring to the town as “my burgh”. This talk traces Edinburgh’s early history from David’s reign until the late thirteenth century. Over these years, Edinburgh hosted large assemblies of Scotland’s political elite, attracted people from the surrounding areas to use its market, and became a financial centre for the minting of royal coinage. But it also witnessed property disputes, sieges, military occupation, and even the kidnap of a young king and queen! As the medieval town flourished as a centre for royal authority, trade and administration, it left a legacy that is still visible in the city today.
Speaker
Dr Emily Ward
Dr Emily Joan Ward is a Lecturer in Medieval Scottish History at the University of Edinburgh. Her research explores the roles children and young people played in medieval society between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, both in Scotland and elsewhere in north-western Europe. She has published a book on Royal Childhood and Child Kingship (CUP, 2022) as well as various academic articles about boy kings and royal women. You can hear her talk more on podcasts for Gone Medieval, BBC History Extra and History Hit, or read pieces she has written in History Today and TLS.
