One of Scotland’s finest late-medieval strongholds, Doune Castle stands high on a promontory between the River Teith and the Ardoch Burn in Perthshire. It is a testament to the power of one nobleman, Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany. He was known as Scotland’s ‘uncrowned king’, and the castle was one of his main residences in the late 1300s.

For a long time Albany has been credited with the complete construction of the castle, making Doune a remarkable example of a medieval fortress built as one man’s vision. However, fresh research is casting new light on Doune Castle, suggesting a much more complex history dating back to the century before Albany and beyond.