Holyroodhouse Trivia Quiz

Answer: Edinburgh Castle

The Palace of Holyroodhouse was built at the base of Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano. A series of roads leads out from Holyroodhouse to Edinburgh Castle. Although it is known as the Royal Mile, the distance between the two landmarks is not actually a mile. It's roughly a Scots mile, a measurement that hasn't been used for hundreds of years, but it is longer than the mile in use today.

Answer: James IV

When James IV was on the throne, England and Scotland had different monarchs. King James of Scotland was engaged to be married to Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII, the King of England. They married in the abbey in 1503. There is hardly anything that remains of the original palace built in preparation for the occasion.

Margaret Tudor was Henry VIII's sister and therefore not a viable marriage option. Charles I was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, but not until roughly 100 years after the first Palace of Holyroodhouse was built. George VI was the British monarch between 1936-1952, a long time after the Tudors ruled England.

Answer: A war between Scotland and England

Mary, Queen of Scots succeeded to the Scottish throne when she was just a few days old. For various political reasons, England attacked Scotland. One of those reasons was that Henry VIII wanted his son Prince Edward to marry Mary and form an alliance. The Palace and the abbey were both attacked by English troops during the war, which came to be known as the "Rough Wooing".

Answer: Mary's husband

Mary's second husband, Lord Darnley was jealous of David Rizzio. Mary was five months pregnant at the time of Rizzio' death, and there were rumours that Rizzio was the father. Lord Darnley led a group of conspirators to the Queen's Bedchamber, where she, Rizzio, and her ladies were in the Supper Room. The pregnant Mary was held at gunpoint while Rizzio, clinging to the Queen's dress, was dragged away to the Outer Chamber. He was stabbed 56 times.

Mary left the Palace and a few months later, James VI of Scotland (Jame I of England) was born. In the early hours of a February morning in 1567, the building Lord Darnley had been staying in (near Holyroodhouse) suffered two explosions. Mary's husband and his valet were found dead outside the building dressed in their nightclothes.

Answer: Sir William Bruce

In 1676, the new Palace (as designed by Sir William Bruce) was completed. Inside, the rooms were panelled and ornately decorated by a team of experts. English plasterers decorated the elaborate ceilings in some of the rooms. Jacob de Wet and Jan van Santvoort created the paintings and sculptures. De Wet was also commissioned to paint over 100 portraits of Scottish monarchs that would be displayed in the Great Gallery at the Palace.

Answer: Bonnie Prince Charlie

The Stuarts lost the throne to William of Orange in 1689 and James II of Scotland was deposed. In 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie (grandson of James II) attempted to regain the crown for his family. He set up court in the Palace of Holyroodhouse and was victorious in some battles against the English. In the end, though, Bonnie Prince Charlie was defeated and fled to Europe.

Answer: He was forced to leave at the beginning of the French Revolution.

The comte d'Artois was the younger brother of King Louis XVI of France. He had been in exile since the beginning of the French Revolution, but had got into debt in Europe. He fled to the Palace to claim sanctuary in the abbey. Holyrood abbey was known as a sanctuary for debtors: as long as they remained in the abbey on weekdays, they could not be arrested.

Answer: Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria loved Scotland and visited the country frequently. One again, the Palace interiors were renovated. Repairs were made and furniture from Buckingham Palace was brought to Edinburgh in preparation for the Queen's arrival. The other three women were all queens of England before it was united with Scotland.

Answer: A fountain

When Queen Victoria's family moved in and renovations were made, Prince Albert took particular interest in the Forecourt. The fountain at the centre was installed in 1859. It was based on a fountain at Linlithgow Palace, a former residence of the monarchs of Scotland.

There are also four hectares of gardens around the Palace. Over the centuries, the gardens have boasted areas for archery and jousting, tennis courts, and 'Queen Mary's Sundial'. Queen Elizabeth held an annual Garden Party in the grounds of the Palace for roughly 8,000 people.

Answer: 3,000

The design of the banqueting service was based on sets from the early 1600s. The set was made specifically for use in Holyroodhouse and each piece was engraved. Some items had the Scottish Royal Crest on them and some had the Scottish Coat of Arms. At over 3,000 pieces, the set contains more than just a knife and fork each! There are also teapots, tureens, oyster forks, and asparagus tongs, among many other things.