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The National
12 hours ago
- Business
- The National
How Edinburgh became Scottish capital truly fit for a king
Fittingly I am concluding with our capital city, telling the story of Edinburgh in ancient times, ie before 1800, ending with the Jacobite Rising of 1745-46 and the greatest missed opportunity in Scottish history. Last week I showed how Edinburgh began to develop from a small settlement through the trinity of a fortification, religious institutions and royal patronage, as happened with all our eight cities. READ MORE: This is how the grandeur of Edinburgh began with a rock Despite the fact that much of Scotland's ancient records were stolen and destroyed by various English invaders from Edward I to Oliver Cromwell, archaeologists and historians have been able to put together a record of Edinburgh's history from the earliest times. There are gaps in our knowledge, for sure, but we do have a fairly coherent history of Edinburgh, especially as the second millennium wore on and the city became the nation's capital. Before that status was achieved, however, in the 12th and 13th centuries the castle and Holyrood Abbey were the principal drivers of the growing economic prowess of Edinburgh, but it was other foundations under the royal patronage of King David I, King William I the Lion (or Lyon), and their successors which really boosted Edinburgh. As I wrote last week, in 1143 David had given the Augustinian monks at Holyrood the right to found a burgh, the Canongate, between their church and 'my burgh', ie Edinburgh, and it is thought that he also began the long process of developing Edinburgh as a centre of mercantile trade, particularly through the establishment of 'tofts' – strips of land to either side of the High Street and Canongate allocated to merchants as long as they built a house and conducted their business in the burgh. King David is also said to have founded the parish church of Edinburgh dedicated to St Giles, but no trace of that original church remains today. The current St Giles Cathedral building was started in the 14th century. King Alexander II also favoured Edinburgh and often stayed in the castle and Holyrood Abbey. In 1230 he handed over a manor which he owned to the Dominican order, the Blackfriars. They erected a large monastery in the area south of the High Street and as with all such institutions, it added greatly to the local economy. So, too, did the monastery of the Franciscans, the Greyfriars, which was established two centuries afterwards on the site of Greyfriars Kirk. By the final years of the 13th century, Edinburgh had grown in importance, but was still not the capital, though it had been made the seat of the sheriffdom of the Lothians more than a century before. When Edward I ('Longshanks') carried out his devastating invasion of Scotland in 1296 in response to the Scots signing the Auld Alliance treaty with France, the castle was an obvious target and just days after vanquishing the Scottish army at Dunbar, his forces marched on Edinburgh and besieged the burgh and castle for five days, using mighty siege engines and 'Greek fire' – a deadly incendiary substance – to break Scottish resistance. It was the first of 26 sieges, a European record for any castle. Longshanks became the first English monarch to capture Edinburgh Castle and he promptly stole one of Scotland's greatest treasures, the Black Rood of St Margaret, from either the castle or Holyrood. Supposedly a relic of the true cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified, it was ranked alongside the crown of Scotland in importance and its capture was a devastating blow to Edinburgh and Scotland. It was taken south – Longshanks is said to have kept it in his own private chapel – but was repatriated in 1328 as a consequence of the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton which recognised Scottish nationhood. The Rood was captured again by the English at the battle of Neville's Cross in 1346. It was then lost in Durham during the Reformation in the 16th century. Always one for documenting his misdeeds, The official English Court record stated that Edward took, 'Unum scrinium argenteum deauratum in quo reponitur crux que vocatur le blake rode', which translates as 'A silver-gilt casket in which lies the cross called the Black Rood'. The English also took other items of regalia and a huge cache of royal records which were never recovered. READ MORE: Becoming a royal burgh was a huge development in Glasgow's history As he did with several other castles, Edward installed a garrison in Edinburgh Castle. With an average garrison size of 300 soldiers, the English occupied the castle until 1313 when Robert the Bruce's great ally and general Sir Thomas Randolph captured the castle in a daring night raid. He led just 30 men up the cliffs and over the walls to take the castle from within. Today there is a plaque on the castle to record the deed. It states: 'To commemorate Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray. A distinguished soldier and diplomatist who recovered this castle in 1313 after it had been for 20 years in the hands of the English.' As I have shown previously, King Robert the Bruce always demolished recaptured castles in order to deny any future use to the English and Edinburgh Castle suffered the same fate. He did, however, make a huge contribution to Edinburgh – However, shortly before his death in 1329, he confirmed Edinburgh's status as a royal burgh and gave its leaders major trading advantages, including supervision of the port of Leith. The next English king to capture the castle was Longshanks's grandson, Edward III, who backed the attempted coup d'etat by Edward Balliol in 1334. Another English garrison was installed and Edward III paid for new castle walls, but that great warrior knight, Sir William Douglas of Liddesdale, recaptured it in 1341. The city's relationship with the garrison was shown by the fact that after Douglas disguised his men as merchants, they opened the castle to allow the Edinburgh citizenry inside, where they slaughtered the English, decapitating most of them and flinging their bodies over the walls. On his return after 11 years' imprisonment in England, King David II rebuilt the castle entirely, with David's Tower later being named after him. He died there in the royal apartments in 1371. He was succeeded by his uncle, Robert II, High Steward of Scotland and founder of the Stewart dynasty under which Edinburgh flourished and did become the capital. All this time the burghs of Edinburgh and Canongate were developing and North and South Leith also grew, with the former becoming an important port after the 1334 capture of Berwick by the English. Leith became famous for exporting wool and hides and importing Scotland's 'other national drink' of the period: claret wine from France. Edinburgh and almost all of Scotland suffered grievously when the Black Death arrived in 1349. Perhaps a third of the burgh's population died, and plague would recur on numerous occasions until the 17th century. In February 1356, the invasion of southern Scotland by Edward III of England saw much of Edinburgh razed to the ground in what became known as the Burnt Candlemas. A further invasion by the English under the teenage King Richard II in 1385 saw the town burned again. It would take many years for Edinburgh's population and economy to recover from both plague and fire, though the burgh expanded in area when the lands of Restalrig were bought from the Logan family. After the assassination of James I at Perth in 1437, the Stewart dynasty made Edinburgh Castle their principal fortress and residence. Just a year later the first meeting of the Estates of Parliament took place in the Old Tolbooth, administrative centre of the burgh. James II loved artillery and imported the giant cannon Mons Meg from the Continent – it stands in the castle to this day, despite having burst in 1681. Then James III formally decreed that Edinburgh was his capital, and during his reign the burgh's guilds, also known as crafts, began to form with the king giving them their famous banner, the Blue Blanket, in 1482. His successor James IV built Holyrood Palace as his main residence and also constructed the Great Hall at the castle that still stands much as it was. Edinburgh became a recognised European capital during his reign, which ended at Flodden Field in 1513. After that disaster, the people of Edinburgh hurriedly built the Flodden Wall in anticipation of an English invasion. READ MORE: Glasgow 850? It is one of the most ancient areas of Scotland In the meantime, the crafts and merchants were thriving – as were lawyers, the Court of Session being founded as the principal court of the land in 1532. In 1544, the forces of Henry VIII led by the Earl of Hertford burned down Holyrood Palace and Abbey and laid siege to the castle during the 'Rough Wooing' in which the English were trying to force a dynastic marriage on the infant Mary, Queen of Scots. She escaped to France, however, and married the Dauphin, the Crown Prince of France. While she was abroad, the Protestant Reformation took place. John Knox was appointed minister of St Giles in 1559, a major step towards the Reformation that was confirmed by the Scottish Parliament in 1560. After her first husband's death, Mary returned to Edinburgh in 1561 and the young Catholic queen frequently debated religious and political matters with Knox while living in the Palace of Holyroodhouse. After the murder of her secretary David Rizzio by nobles linked to her consort, Henry Darnley, the pregnant queen moved to the castle for safety Here she gave birth to her son James on June 19, 1566. Edinburgh was thus at the beginning of the Union, as James VI became James I of England in 1603, after which his royal court moved to London. While still in Edinburgh, James VI approved the town council's request to establish a university, Scotland's fourth, in 1582, and even after his move to London he still considered Edinburgh as his Scottish capital and had the palace restored for his sole visit home in 1617. Parliament House was constructed during the 1630s at a time when Edinburgh was truly prosperous, with the university leading the study of medicine which became a world-leading facet of Edinburgh. Merchants became responsible for the building of stone tenements on either side of the High Street, creating the Old Town we can still see today. Brewing, printing, and the manufacture of clothing goods were strengths of Edinburgh. The New Model Army of Oliver Cromwell occupied the town and castle following his invasion of Scotland in 1650, and again Holyrood Abbey and Palace were the objects of English ire. The Parliament barely survived Scottish anger over the Act of Union in 1701, and in common with other cities, the townspeople rioted in a vain bid to preserve Scotland's independence. After the astonishing victory of the Jacobites at Prestonpans in 1745, Prince Charles Edward Stuart based himself at Holyrood and 'cancelled' the Union. If only he had taken the advice to stay in Scotland and consolidate his rule here – but he didn't, a huge opportunity was missed, and the result was Culloden. Still to come was the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution, even the sport of golf – it was in Edinburgh, not St Andrews, that its rules were first promulgated. That will be a story for a different time and different place, however, for today I am retiring from journalism for the foreseeable future, largely on health grounds as I will be undergoing heart surgery soon. It's the end of 10 years working for The National and Sunday National, and as Hamish MacPherson I have been given the fantastic privilege of telling the history of Scotland – a unique achievement by The National which no other Scottish newspaper can rival. If you've enjoyed my work and found it informative then I've been Martin Hannan, and if not then I've been the other fella… Saor Alba, farewell.
The Courier
3 days ago
- The Courier
Why a visit to the atmospheric ruins of Restenneth Priory near Forfar is good for the soul
The sun was blazing and there was barely a cloud in the sky as I took a drive out past Forfar to Restenneth Priory. It was most definitely a day for sitting and quietly contemplating: I wasn't planning any mad adventures. Despite having lived in Angus for 13 years, it was my first visit to the priory, which I am rather ashamed to admit. It's super-easy to access, and there's a dedicated car park just a few minutes' walk away. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I was blown away by the sheer gorgeousness and perfection of this tranquil place. Cattle grazed quietly in lush pasture surrounding the priory, and the only sound (apart from a brief bout of barking from dogs in kennels at a house nearby) was that of birds twittering in the trees. I wandered around the remains of the ancient buildings, pausing to imagine the Augustinian canons who once lived here praying, gardening, eating and sleeping. They apparently wore distinctive black robes, and lived like monks – in an enclosed religious community, but sometimes leaving the priory to worship with local people. At the heart of the priory, which was an outpost of Jedburgh Abbey, was the church – the largest and most sacred building. Alas, some of the ruins are fenced off, presumably for repair work, so I was unable to access everything. But look closely and you might spot shallow basins used for washing vessels known as piscina, and carvings including window decorations. The highlight, arguably, is the 14 metre tower, of which the base, dating from the 1100s, is the oldest part of the priory to survive. As well as the ruins of the ancient church, with its tower, chapter house foundations, cloister walls and doorways, and chancel, there are fascinating gravestones. One, in the grounds, has a smiley face carved into it. It's pretty quirky and a cute way to honour a loved one. However, I've yet to find out the history and story behind it and who might be buried under it. Another gravestone, inside the cloisters, is also pretty cool, and has been described as 'crude medieval grave slab'. I sat for a couple of hours on the grass outside the priory, simply drinking in the atmosphere. I highly recommend it; it's good for the soul. Suitably refreshed, I decided to explore the surrounding area, and having noticed a path leading from the car park down into woodland, I headed in that direction. It turns out the priory is on the Forfar Path Network, which means you can include a visit in a wider circuit. After passing drystane dykes lined with bluebells, I found myself on a marshy path flanked by high reeds that runs through the wetlands of Restenneth Moss. Apart from a few slight soggy sections, it was bone dry. This is unusual: the path is often flooded. I followed the path, walking under an old railway bridge, soon reaching the hamlet of Lunanhead. I turned at this point, but, back at the priory, continued on the path in the opposite direction. This took me through a landfill site, which was bizarrely chosen by designer Stella McCartney for a photo shoot in 2017. The following year, in 2018, the site hosted renowned film-director Elena Petitti di Roreto, who brought a full crew to shoot for Vogue Italia. I honestly don't know how the models coped. The stench of rotting rubbish is gag-worthy! I scuttled on, keen to get away, soon ending up beside Forfar Golf Course. There were options to continue – back into Forfar or along another path to the village of Kingsmuir – but I had things to do and places to be so I knocked my walk on the head. Back at the priory, I couldn't resist taking just a few more photos. Interestingly, there are different theories about when it was founded. The earliest masonry, at the base of the tower, dates from the 1100s. But there's said to be a strong possibility that Restenneth was where the Pictish King Nechtan built his first stone church around AD715. Another fascinating fact is that King Alexander I had the sacred annals of Iona transferred to Restenneth in the 1100s to keep them safe from encroaching Scandinavians. In 1162, the priory was established by Augustinian canons, and became a sort of quiet outpost of Jedburgh Abbey in the Borders. At that time the priory sat on the banks of a small loch, which provided canons with a good supply of fish and fresh water. However this was drained in the 18th Century for its marl, which was used as a rich fertiliser. Following the Wars of Independence, Robert the Bruce became a generous patron of the priory. And in 1327 King Robert buried his infant son, Prince John, in the church. The young prince was the only member of Bruce's family not to be buried in Dunfermline Abbey. By 1501 there were only two canons in residence. And after the 1560 Reformation, Restenneth had a number of private owners. One, George Dempster of Dunnichen, turned part of the old choir into a family burial place. The priory was damaged by troops who set up camp here during the 1745 uprising, and spent much of the 1800s as accommodation for cattle. It passed into state care in 1919, and is now looked after by Historic Environment Scotland.
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Tickets available Friday for June 14 celebration of Pope Leo
Chicagoans can buy tickets to a celebration of Pope Leo XIV's election beginning Friday, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced. The celebration, set for June 14 at the White Sox's Rate Field in Bridgeport, is open to all comers. Leo himself, a native of the Chicago area and the first American to lead the world's Catholics in the church's history, will not be at the event but will address 'the young people of the world' in a video message, according to the archdiocese's invitation. Tickets are $5 and available through Ticketmaster beginning at 10 a.m. Friday. The program will include music, film, in-person testimonials and prayer. The ballpark will open to attendees at 12:30 p.m. and the program, emceed by Chuck Swirsky, will begin at 2:30 p.m., according to the archdiocese. Cardinal Blase Cupich will celebrate Mass at 4 p.m. 'This celebration offers a unique opportunity for the people from Chicago and beyond to come together in shared pride for one of our own,' the archdiocese statement stated. Born Robert Francis Prevost, the 69-year-old Augustinian missionary was raised in south suburban Dolton and earned his master's in divinity from Chicago Theological Union. He is also a longtime White Sox fan, captured on video at one of the team's World Series games in 2005. The footage later went viral.
Herald Malaysia
5 days ago
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Pope Leo XIV's pectoral cross contains a relic of St. Leo the Great
On the day of his election, Pope Leo XIV received the gift of a silver pectoral cross containing the relics of Pope St. Leo the Great, as well as three Augustinian bishops: St. Augustine, St. Thomas of Villanova, and Blessed Anselmo Polanco, a Spanish bishop martyred in the country's civil war. May 29, 2025 Pope Leo XIV venerates the pectoral cross reliquary By Tiziana Campisi and Christopher WellsAlmost 16 centuries ago, the first Pope to bear the name Leo promoted the unity of the Church, highlighted the primacy of the Bishop of Rome, defined the doctrine of the Incarnation, composed some of the most beautiful prayers of the Roman Missal, and earned for himself the epithet 'the Great.' On May 8, the day of his election to the papacy, the new Pope Leo XIV received a silver pectoral cross donated by the Circolo San Pietro , containing relics of his illustrious predecessor, along with relics of St. Augustine of Hippo and Augustinian bishops St. Thomas of Villanova and Blessed Anselmo Polanco. The Circolo San Pietro was founded in Rome in 1869 by a group of young people at the urging of Blessed Pope Pius IX, who entrusted them with their initial charitable duty of providing meals for the poor. The idea of the Custode of the Apostolic Sanctuary The idea of having a new 'reliquary' cross made for Pope Leo XIV was the inspiration of Father Bruno Silvestrini, OSA, Custode del Sacrario Apostolico (Guardian of the Apostolic Sanctuary), and a member of the Augustinian community attached to the Pontifical Sacristy. Picking up on his Augustinian confrere's desire to entrust himself to the protection and guidance of Pope Leo the Great, Fr. Silvestrini turned to expert Antonino Cottone, who had already made five reliquaries using traditional medieval techniques. Mr. Cottone created the pectoral cross reliquary, which was donated to Pope Leo by the Augustinian General Curia on the day he was created Cardinal, on 30 September 2023. A painstaking task It took the expert only two hours to create, with painstaking precision and passionate dedication, a new small cross with gilded paper filigrees ( paperoles ) on red moiré ('watered silk', a textile whose appearance simulates the grain of wood or marble, producing an iridescent effect), where 4 tiny paper flowers held the relics of the 4 illustrious pastors of the Church. Mr. Cottone skillfully rolled, shaped, and glued tiny strips of paper to create a series of decorative elements between which he then inserted the precious fragments of the 'holy bones.' Cross presented to Leo XIV When he had finished his work, the artisan placed the 'reliquary cross' inside the papal pectoral cross and presented it to Pope Leo XIV by placing it around his neck. The Pope joyfully received the pectoral cross enriched with the relics of four bishops particularly dear to him.--Vatican News
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - Pope Leo XIV condemned Putin. Will he confront Maduro next?
Earlier this week, Nicolás Maduro's regime in Venezuela staged parliamentary and regional elections stripped of any legitimacy. The leading opposition coalition, led by María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia, boycotted the vote after key candidates were barred and electoral conditions rendered fair competition impossible. Maduro's party declared near-total victory, seizing 253 of 277 seats and 23 of 24 governorships. For most Venezuelans, it was not an election — it was a farce. Just over two weeks earlier, white smoke had risen over St. Peter's Square in Rome, announcing the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV. Shortly after, the Kyiv Independent reported on a previously published interview with the Peruvian outlet Semanario Expresión, in which the then-cardinal denounced Russia's war on Ukraine as 'a true invasion, imperialist in nature, where Russia seeks to conquer territory for reasons of power.' Though spoken before his election, the statement stands out for its moral clarity, especially in contrast to the often-diplomatic language of the late Pope Francis, who was frequently criticized for his reluctance to condemn authoritarian regimes, even on his home continent. A member of the Order of Saint Augustine, Pope Leo XIV spent decades in pastoral and missionary work in Peru's impoverished Chiclayo region, embodying what it means to be 'American' in the universal, catholic sense. His Augustinian roots — and his choice of the name Leo — have drawn early attention. Likely a nod to Leo XIII, who guided the Church's response to modern social upheaval, the new pope's new name, coupled with his motto, 'In Illo Uno Unum' ('In the One, we are one'), reflects a charism of interiority, communal life and the restless pursuit of truth rooted in both faith and reason. Yet the decisiveness of his remarks suggests not only a theological commitment but a cultural one. Although he is the first American pope, 'Papa León XIV' speaks with a distinctly Hispanic moral urgency — shaped, perhaps, by the rugged, impoverished and spiritually rich Andes. That urgency calls to mind another León: Luis de León, the 16th-century Augustinian poet and friar, and a towering figure of the School of Salamanca. In 1582, he was imprisoned by the Inquisition and held for nearly five years in the Convent of San Pablo in Valladolid, Spain, accused of heresy by rivals who feared both his intellect and his outspoken defense of Scripture and human liberty. Pope Leo XIV's invocation of Augustinian tradition and prophetic clarity in denouncing the Kremlin's war invites a powerful comparison. And there are others, too, in that same lineage of Hispanic, Catholic conscience. In 1511, Dominican friar Antonio de Montesinos delivered a sermon in Santo Domingo condemning the Spanish Crown's treatment of native peoples. Accusing the colonizers of mortal sin 'by reason of the cruelty and tyranny' they practiced, the humble friar inspired the first international human rights debate. He set a precedent for a Church willing to speak truth to power. Morally shaken, by 1512, King Ferdinand of Aragon issued the Laws of Burgos — the first legal code intended to regulate the treatment of Indigenous people in the Americas. By 1537, the moral shockwaves of Montesinos's sermon were still rippling through the Catholic world. Similarly inspired, Pope Paul III issued the papal bull Sublimis Deus, declaring that Indigenous peoples were fully human, possessed rational souls, and held an inherent right to liberty and property. It was the first of many such declarations coming from both the Hispanic world and the Vatican. Four centuries later, Salvadoran archbishop Oscar Romero showed similar courage. On March 24, 1980, shortly after ordering the regime's repression to end in the name of God, Romero was assassinated while celebrating Mass in San Salvador. 'In the name of this suffering people,' he cried out in his final homily, moments before his martyrdom, 'whose cries rise to heaven each day more tumultuous; I beseech you, I beg you, I order you … stop the repression.' But the model of courageous witness extends beyond the Hispanic World. When St. Pope John Paul II urged the world to 'be not afraid' in his inaugural homily in 1978, it was more than spiritual advice. His encyclical Redemptor Hominis, released months later, condemned communism as a system that denied human dignity and freedom. During his visit to Poland in 1979, he awakened a national conscience and laid the groundwork for the fall of Soviet totalitarianism. The communist security apparatus stood no chance against the will of a free people guided by the Spirit. Yet the Maduro regime remains unchallenged by the papacy. Once one of Hispanic America's wealthiest nations, Venezuela is now defined by hunger, repression, collapsed infrastructure and one of the world's highest homicide rates. Inflation hit 130,060 percent in 2018; today, nearly 80 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled since 2015, creating the largest displacement crisis in the Western Hemisphere. For the Hispanic Scholastics, such debasement would not be seen merely a failure of policy, but rather a form of tyranny. As Jesuit Juan de Mariana wrote in his 1609 De Monetae Mutatione: 'If the prince is not the master but, rather, the administrator of the private possessions of his subjects, then he is not allowed to take away arbitrarily any part of their possessions for this or any other reason, as occurs whenever money is debased, … And if the prince is not empowered to levy taxes on unwilling subjects and cannot set up monopolies over merchandise, then neither is he empowered to make fresh profit by debasing money, because this tactic aims at the same thing, namely, robbing the people of their wealth.' In this moment of deepening catastrophe, Hispanic America needs its first 'Peruvian' pope to act not just as a global statesman but as a prophetic voice in the wilderness. His clear condemnation of Russia was a bracing sign of moral leadership. That same clarity would offer hope to Venezuelans facing violence, starvation and exile — the loss of home and human dignity. For millions of Venezuelans, just like millions of others suffering across the globe, that sense of exile is existential, and perhaps unbearable without a sense of hope. As Uruguayan poet Mario Benedetti wrote about his own experience with exile, 'I sense that within the country I no longer recognize lies the one I always knew.' It is to that Venezuela, and its scattered people, that the Holy Father must now speak. In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis wrote that 'each individual Christian and every community is called to be an instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor … attentive to the cry of the poor and to come to their aid.' Now, Catholics across the world wonder whether Pope Leo XIV's voice will rise in defense of Venezuela's dignity and pain, answering the cry heard so clearly across history and in the witness of the Gospel. Johannes Schmidt works in public relations and is a foreign language expert with the National Language Service Corps. 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