Edinburgh

Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann
Castellum Puellarum, Din Eidyn, Tenebroc

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is located in the southeastern part of Scotland, on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth.

John Major, the Scottish chronicler, thought that Edinburgh was Arthur’s capital. The city appears in French romance as Tenebroc. It may be indicated by Agned in Nennius.

It is also the site of Arthur’s Seat, located in Holyrood Park. It is an ancient volcanic hill where Arthur was alleged to have watched his forces defeat the Picts and Scots.

Edinburgh | 400-600 AD

The history of Edinburgh between 400 and 600 AD is relatively obscure, and there is limited historical evidence from this specific period. During these centuries, the area that is now Edinburgh was part of the wider region known as the Kingdom of Gododdin, an early medieval Brittonic-speaking kingdom in what is now southern Scotland and northern England.

The Gododdin were a Celtic people who inhabited the southeastern part of Scotland, including the area around present-day Edinburgh. The capital of the Gododdin kingdom was likely Din Eidyn, which is belived to be the ancient name for the settlement that eventually became Edinburgh.

While there are few written records from this time, the Kingdom of the Gododdin is mentioned in early Welsh poetry, particularly in the Y Gododdin, an epic poem composed by the Welsh bard Aneirin around the sixth century. The poem recounts the battle of Catraeth, where the warriors of the Gododdin fought valiantly but suffered a devastating defeat against the Anglo-Saxon invaders.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the area around Edinburgh was settled and fortified during this period, indicating a significant population and likely serving as a center of power for the Gododdin.

The Kingdom of Gododdin eventually came under pressure from the advancing Angles and other Germanic tribes, as well from the rising power of the Kingdom of Northumbria. Over time, the Gododdin territories were gradually absorbed into the expanding Northumbrian kingdom.


See also
Caledonia | The Legend of King Arthur
Castle of Maidens | The Legend of King Arthur


Source
Historia Majoris Britanniae | John Major, 1521