George Gordon, 1st Duke of Gordon

George Gordon, 1st Duke of Gordon, was a prominent Scottish nobleman whose loyalty to James VII and II placed him at the center of the early Jacobite conflict.

A member of the powerful House of Gordon, he was elevated to the dukedom in 1684 and later served as governor of Edinburgh Castle.

Following the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Gordon refused to surrender the fortress to supporters of William of Orange.

For months, he maintained control of Edinburgh Castle in the name of the displaced Stuart king, even as political and military opposition grew around him.

The castle finally surrendered in June 1689, bringing an end to one of the most significant early acts of armed resistance on behalf of James VII and II.

Although Gordon's political fortunes suffered afterward, his defense of the castle became a memorable episode in the opening struggle of the Jacobite era.