The Siege of Stirling Castle: Scotland's Greatest Besieging Feat

In 1304, Edward I of England unleashed the largest siege engine ever built in Britain against Stirling Castle. The 'Warwolf', a trebuchet standing over 60 feet tall, could hurl boulders weighing 300 pounds. This episode follows the siege day by day: the defenders under Sir William Oliphant held out for months, enduring bombardment from thirteen siege engines. Edward himself supervised operations, even ordering his engineers to build the Warwolf after the garrison offered surrender—he wanted to see it work. We explore the castle's strategic importance as 'the key to Scotland', the evolution of medieval siegecraft, and the brutal reality of a starving garrison finally yielding. The siege's aftermath set the stage for Robert the Bruce's guerrilla campaign two years later. Along the way, we meet figures like Sir John de Menteith, who later betrayed William Wallace, and discuss the castle's enduring symbolism in Scottish history. #StirlingCastle #SiegeofStirling #EdwardI #Warwolf #Trebuchet #WilliamOliphant #ScottishWarsOfIndependence #MedievalSiege #CastleHistory #ScotlandHistory #WilliamWallace #RobertTheBruce #Siegecraft #1304 #FexingoHistory #History #MedievalScotland #Stirling Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo