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How come Scotland has so many castles?

The Scottish king encouraged Norman and French nobles to settle in Scotland, introducing a feudal mode of landholding and the use of castles as a way of controlling the contested Scottish Lowlands.



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Scottish castles represent the country's long and colourful history. Scotland is home to over 1500 castles but it's thought there may have been as many as 3000 castles! Let's take a closer look at some historic Scottish castles, who lived in them, and how they were built!

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Wales. While Germany may have the most amount of castles, Wales is the country with the most castles per square mile. Despite its small size, Wales had over 600 castles. Today over 400 castles still stand and are waiting to be explored by visitors.

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Scotland has been home to more castles than anywhere else in the UK, with there being around 1,800 castles that have previously, or still do stand today.

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Due to Ireland being a place that was constantly war torn for centuries castles were constantly built, destroyed and then rebuilt. Ireland is also slightly less mountainous than Scotland so there was more land suitable for castle building.

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Which UK castle reigns as the oldest? We delved into our research to discover that Pevensey Castle in east Sussex steals the title as the oldest castle in the UK. Built in the year 280CE, it is a medieval castle and former Roman Saxon Shore fort.

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There are approximately 3,000 castles scattered all over Belgium, from the northern Flanders region all the way to the southern region of Wallonia.

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Converted into a donjon around 950, Château de Doué-la-Fontaine in France is the oldest standing castle in Europe.

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The Castle of Mey was the property of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother from 1952 until 1996, when Her Majesty generously gifted it with an endowment to the Trust. The castle is situated on the north coast of Caithness, in the parish of Canisbay, about 15 miles east of Thurso and six miles west of John O'Groats.

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Edinburgh Castle may be the most famous and most visited castle in Scotland, and it's right in the center of the capital city of Edinburgh.

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For most of the Middle Ages, Scotland has been at war as Clans, Nobles and Lords battled against each other or revolted against state authority. For this reason, they needed a defensive structure (i.e., a castle) where they could hold onto power and defend themselves and their communities from attacks.

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No-one lives in Edinburgh Castle now. From the 17th century onwards it was used as a military base. Parts are still run by the army, but it is now predominantly a tourist attraction.

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While it is colloquially known as a fry-up in most areas of the United Kingdom and Ireland, it is usually referred to as a full English (often full English breakfast), a full Irish, full Scottish, full Welsh, and Ulster fry, in England, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, ...

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