Battle of Harlaw
| date | July 24, 1411 |
|---|---|
| place | north of Inverurie , Scotland |
| output | Tactical retreat, strategic victory for the Earl of Mar |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
Lowland Clans, Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany loyal |
Highland clans, allies of the Lord of the Isles |
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| Several thousand | up to 10,000 |
| losses | |
|
600 |
900 |
The Battle of Harlaw (in Scottish Gaelic : Cath Gairbheach ) is a clash of Scottish clans on July 24, 1411 north of Inverurie in the former region of Aberdeenshire . It is one of the battles of the Middle Ages, in which the barons of north east Scotland and those of the west coast fought each other. Although Harlaw often as a conflict between Lowlandern and Highlanders was described Harlaw was a battle within the Gaels , between the Scottish Gaelic-speaking from the West and the English-speaking from the East.
backgrounds
The battle was fought over a bloody rivalry for rights to County Ross , a large area in northern Scotland. The Duke of Albany and Regent of Scotland had taken control of the county on behalf of his granddaughter, the ailing Euphemia Leslie, 8th Countess of Ross , daughter of Alexander Leslie, 7th Earl of Ross , who entered a monastery in 1411. The county was claimed by Domhnall, Donald of Islay, Lord of the Isles , who was married to Mariota, Euphemia's aunt.
The battle and the aftermath
After Domhnall had put his allies behind him, the Clan MacLean with its leader Red Hector of the Battles , the Clan MacLeod under Fierce Ian of Dunvegan, the Clan Cameron under the command of Donald Dubh and the Clan Mackintosh under that of their 10th leader Calum Beg , he had about 10,000 men.
After devastating the royal city of Inverness , he defeated the forces of Clan MacKay and Clan Fraser in Dingwall . He occupied Dingwall Castle and advanced on Aberdeen . About 30 kilometers from the city he was met by a hurry from the Earl of Mar, James Scrymgeor, royal standard bearer and constable of Dundee, Alexander Ogilvy, head of this family and hereditary sheriff of Angus, Robert Davidson, bailiff of Aberdeen and the municipal militia of Aberdeen stopped, who rightly feared the men of Domhnall.
After a day of fierce fighting with no decisive results, Domhnall and his troops withdrew during the night to return to the islands of the west coast. The Earl of Mar had saved Aberdeen from invasion, and less than a year later the Duke of Albany had retaken the entire county and forced Domhnall into submission. After the death of her husband in 1423, as well as that of John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Buchan , who regained the title in 1424, Mariota was finally recognized as Countess of Ross in 1437 and the Lords of the Isles held that title until 1476.
The intensity of the fighting in Harlaw earned him the nickname "Red Harlaw". The memory of this battle is kept alive by the foundation of the Garioch Chapel by the Earl of Mar and the erection of a monument over 12 meters high in 1911. Several Scottish ballads, one of which is addressed in "The Antiquary" by Walter Scott , also recall the battle.
literature
- Patrick Fraser Tytler, History of Scotland: 1149-1603 (3rd edition), 1845
- Robert S. Rait, An Outline of the Relations between England and Scotland (500-1707) , London 1901
- Nigel Tranter (1977), The Captive Crown (1st edition.), 1977, ISBN 9781444768145
- Ronald Williams, The Lords of the Isles: the Clan Donald and the early kingdom of the Scots, Isle of Colonsay: House of Lochar , 1997, ISBN 978-1-899863-17-4 - Reprint of the 1984 edition of Chatto and Windus
- John Leonard Roberts, Feuds, Forays and Rebellions: History of the Highland Clans, 1475-1625 , Edinburgh University Press 1999, ISBN 978-0-7486-6244-9
Remarks
- ↑ Fitzroy MacLean, Highlanders. Histoire des Clans d'Écosse , Paris 1995. p. 50
Coordinates: 57 ° 18 ′ 29 " N , 2 ° 24 ′ 43" W.