Falkland Palace owes most to two successive kings, James IV (1488 - 1513) and James V (1513 - 42), who between them created a Renaissance masterpiece with a strong French accent. James IV began a new palace here in 1501, the same year he began to extend the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh; from this time until the late 17th Century, the connection with the Royal Stuarts determined the development of, first, the castle and, later, the palace. The community of Falkland also developed, to support the royal court when it was in residence.
