CASTILLO de CAWDOR y sus ESPECTACULARES JARDINES (ESCOCIA)

On July 18, 2016, History and Archaeology visited Cawdor Castle in Scotland to learn about its history, and we wanted to share it with you. Please excuse the recording quality and camera movements, as this video was made 10 years ago. This fortification, founded by William the Lion in 1179, was strategically located to control the ford of the River Nairn, near the sea. Since then, the castle has vanished without a trace. The family owned another residence at Old Calder, which, according to Treasury records, was last repaired in 1398. Again, hardly any trace of that building remains, except for faint marks on the crops. A new, more suitable site was chosen. The imposing rectangular keep consisted of four floors and an attic, with a single entrance to the outside. Repaired and expanded every century since then, the castle, as we see it today, is a unique family home. According to legend, the Thane of Cawdor decided to build a new and stronger tower. Following instructions received in a dream, he placed a chest of gold on the back of a donkey and let it wander the region for a day: wherever the animal lay down to rest at nightfall, there his castle would be built, and he would prosper forever. The donkey lay down beneath a tree, which now lies petrified at the foot of the old tower of Cawdor. Whatever the veracity of the story, modern scientific radiocarbon dating of the wood from the tree at the base of Cawdor Castle yields an approximate date of 1372 AD. For centuries, the tree was thought to be a hawthorn (Cratagus monogyna), but this interpretation has lost its validity, as microscopic analysis of the wood identifies it as a holly (Ilex aquifolium). Perhaps the location of the "thorny tree" was chosen for religious or superstitious reasons, in symbolic connection with Christ's crown. In mythology, the holly was one of the seven sacred trees of the Celtic Forest. Throughout 600 years of turbulent Scottish history, marked by disputes with neighbors, murders, and crimes, Cawdor, as a fortress, has survived. The battles of Auldearn and Culloden took place less than 13 kilometers from Cawdor, and the battle of Cromdale not much further. The Battle of Auldearn Lord Montrose ordered the Thanes' sheepfolds to be burned in 1646 as a reminder of the Battle of Auldearn. Furthermore, during Cromwell's campaign to subdue the Highlands, General Monck signed an order exempting Cawdor from being used as a barracks for officers and soldiers. The Glorious Revolution, the massacre at Glencoe, the tense union with England in 1707, and the numerous Jacobite revolts: during these dark times, the castle remained relatively intact, by sheer luck, aided, according to some, by the holly. Sources used in the video: https://es.wikipedia.org/ https://www.cawdorcastle.com/ Music: https://musopen.org/music/33602-noctu... https://musopen.org/music/15215-canon... If you enjoyed the video, please give it a "Like" and share it. Thank you very much. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel to help us in our mission to promote culture and science. Your support is very important. Follow us on our website and social media for more information and exclusive content: 🌍 Website: http://www.historiayarqueologia.com 👤 Facebook:   / historiayarqueologia   ✖ X: https://x.com/redhistoria @Threads: https://www.threads.net/historiayarqu... 📸 Instagram:   / historiayarqueologia   🦋 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cronicas.bsk... 🎵 TikTok:   / historiayarqueologia