Several battles of national importance have been fought in the land surrounding Stirling Castle. The most famous were the Battle of Stirling Bridge and the Battle of Bannockburn

The battle of Bannockburn in 1314, had a major impact on the architecture of Stirling Castle. At the time of the battle, Stirling Castle was held by an English garrison. Following Robert Bruce’s victory, however, the castle was surrendered to the Scots. Once he had taken control of his royal castle of Stirling, Robert Bruce, King of Scots, ordered his men to destroy the castle’s defences in an attempt to prevent the castle from being held against him again..

The oldest surviving building in Stirling Castle is the North Gate, built in 1381 during the reign of Robert II. Traditionally, the North Gate is referred to as ‘the mint’. Coins were certainly struck in Stirling, although it is uncertain as to whether the North Gate was ever actually used for this purpose

Stirling Castle’s Douglas Garden is named after its traditional association with the murder of William, eighth earl of Douglas. The earl was brutally assassinated by James II and his courtiers in February 1452. The earl’s bloodied corpse, complete with no less than 26 wounds, was said to have been thrown from a window down into the area which is now known as the Douglas Garden in memory of the deed.

The first recorded attempt at flight in Scotland is said to have taken place at Stirling Castle in September 1507. John Damian, an Italian alchemist, attempted to fly from the castle’s walls with the aid of feathered wings. Alas, instead of ascending into the heavens, Damian crashed to the ground, breaking his thigh.

James V’s Palace is built around an open rectangular courtyard known as the Lion’s Den. James V did own at least one lion and it is thought  that the Lion’s Den was the area where the King’s Lion was housed.

The infant Mary, Queen of Scots, was crowned in Stirling Castle’s Chapel Royal in 1543. The queen was only nine months old at the time of her coronation, and appears to have been less than impressed with proceedings – she cried all the way through the ceremony!

In April 1565, Stirling Castle was where Mary, Queen of Scots, is said to have fallen in love with her second husband, Lord Darnley. Darnley had fallen ill and was confined to his rooms in Stirling Castle. Mary nursed Darnley back to health, and the Queen reputedly became infatuated with the handsome Darnley.

During the magnificent celebrations to mark the baptism of Prince Henry in 1594 a full size ship was brought into the Great Hall from which a variety of fish was served.

In 1997 archaeologists were undertaking a dig in Stirling Castle when they discovered a number of skeletons buried beneath the floor of what had been a 19th century army kitchen. The skeletons date from the period c1250-c1400. One skeleton was of a male, aged in his twenties, who had an arrowhead embedded in his chest and a wound indicative of his nose and jaw having been sliced with a weapon such as a sword. The skeletons would have belonged to people of some prestige, and were originally buried within a medieval chapel which no longer exists.

The oldest surviving football in the world was discovered lodged in the rafters of Stirling Castle’s palace. The football dates from c 1540. It is made of leather, and was inflated by a pig’s bladder. The football is now held by Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum.

Stirling Castle is well known as a prestigious venue for events and in 1993 the premiere  party for the Braveheart film was held in the castle attended by Mel Gibson.