Devastated by the civil wars of the 17th century or by the neglect of their owners, the majority of Scottish baronial castles built between 1250 and 1450 survive as little more than skeletal ruins. These reminders of Scotland's past have captured the imaginations of romantics, artists, writers and tourists since the late 18th century. Often set in spectacular surroundings, on cliff-tops, islands, and gorges, their ruined grandeur evokes a medieval world of sieges, banquets and murders, and provides a rare physical link with the Anglo-Scottish wars of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace.

Dr Michael Brown is a lecturer in the Department of Scottish History at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. His principal interests centre on the political society of Scotland c.1250-1500, the relationships between the various communities of the British Isles during the same period, and the role of the castle in medieval Scotland. His published work includes studies of the practice and ideology of royal and aristocratic lordship in Scotland, warfare in medieval Scotland, and a biography of James I. This is his first book for Osprey Publishing.