History of Edinburgh Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cramond

Cramond Roman Fort is one of the first buildings in Edinburgh. It was not in use for long, however, only for about thirty years in the mid-2nd century. It was built on the location where the Almond River meets the Firth of Forth. The most famous discovery made at Cramond Roman Fort ruins is the Cramond Lioness, a sculpture of a man being eaten by a lioness, which was found in the Almond River in 1997.

Answer: David I

David I was the son of King Malcolm III. Malcolm increasingly spent more and more time in Edinburgh although his court was elsewhere. It was his son David who granted Edinburgh a royal charter, an important event in Edinburgh's history. This allowed Edinburgh to establish trade laws, build universities and other buildings. Either David or Malcolm built St. Margaret's Chapel (believed to be the oldest building in the city) in honor of Malcolm's wife and David's mother.

Answer: First Scottish War of Independence

The First Scottish War of Independence was fought from 1296-1328 when England invaded Scotland and Scotland, in turn, attempted to invade Ireland. Among the many things the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton laid out were Scottish independence and recognized Robert the Bruce as King of Scotland.

The treaty was considered an embarrassment in England (which received very little in return for the Scottish demands). Today, the treaty (which was written in French) is displayed at the National Archives in Edinburgh.

Answer: True

The Rough Wooing was part of a campaign by King Henry VIII of England to seize Scotland and put it under British control. English forces seized control and sacked Edinburgh without much of a fight. However, Scottish forces were able to save Edinburgh Castle, which still stands today. Among the places that were burned down include Craigmillar Castle and Newbattle Abbey.

Answer: Lord Darnley

David Rizzio was secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots, who was accused of having an affair with the queen by her husband Lord Darnley. Darnely was an insanely jealous husband and even went as far as to accuse Rizzio of impregnating Mary. Darnley and his cohorts organized a plan to murder Rizzio during a dinner party at Holyroodhouse Palace. Rizzio stabbed over fifty times, thrown down the stairs, stripped naked and buried almost immediately after death. Rizzio's murder had implications beyond Mary's personal life. Darnley's friends were Protestant but he, Rizzio and Mary were Catholic and his murder was one of many events that weakened Mary's clout and power.

Answer: Oliver Cromwell

The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of power struggles over who would control Scotland, Ireland and England. Initially, Scotland largely opposed Charles I and his attempts to anglicize the Church of Scotland. The country eventually supported Charles' son Charles II.

This angered Oliver Cromwell who coasted to victory at the Battle of Dunbar which allowed him to occupy nearby Edinburgh. Cromwell would become Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1653 and rule for about five years.

Answer: Severely overcrowded

At the beginning of the 1700s, a number of new industries developed in Edinburgh, especially the banking industry. It also became a popular center for thinkers and philosophers of the day. This brought a lot of people to the city but Edinburgh was relatively small area-wise.

The city became very overcrowded and that was often the first thing that struck visitors to Edinburgh. Residential buildings were several stories high and housed dozens of families from different classes.

Answer: Burke and Hare

During the 19th century, Edinburgh was a center for medical science which required cadavers for scientific purposes. Cadavers legally obtained were in short supply. William Burke and William Hare illegally sold the dead body of a tenant to Dr. Robert Knox and found it profitable. They went on a killing spree over the course of ten months and sold their victims to Knox. In total, they are believed to have committed sixteen murders.

In something of an ironic situation, Burke's skeleton is on display at the Edinburgh Medical School.

Answer: False

While Edinburgh was not a main target during the German bombings of Great Britain during the war, it was still bombed. Other cities in Scotland were more geared toward manufacturing and thus larger targets than Edinburgh. Nonetheless, a series of small bombs were occasionally dropped on Edinburgh but the city received very little damage and casualties compared to other places.

Answer: Stone of Scone

The Stone of Scone was used in the coronation of Scottish monarchs until it was taken by the English in 1296. The Stone of Scone remained an object of controversy and Scots held ill will toward the English over it. Amid increasing tensions between the two groups in 1996, England agree to hand over the Stone of Scone to Edinburgh. Prince Andrew on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II officially handed it over to Scotland where it is housed in Edinburgh Castle.

The Stone of Scone will return to England for future coronations of British monarchs.