Thursday, September 9, 2010

A few of Scotland's finer things! (part 3)

I decided to look up famous Scottish battles for today's post. The list is very long. I can't possibly list them all, so I will offer up the link that I used and if you are interested in viewing more, you will have it. www.rampantscotland.com/features/battles.htm.
The majority of the battles fought on Scottish soil were with her neighbor, England. Scotland initiated some of the battles and though she had many wins, there were also many losses.

Battle of Culloden- 1746. The final battle of the Jacobite Uprising of 1745/46. The army of Prince Charles Edward Stewart, consisting mainly of Highlanders, was soundly defeated by the Duke of Cumberland, bringing to the end of the ambitions of the "Young Pretender" to recover the throne for the Stewart dynasty. This took place three months after the Battle of Falkirk. The battle of Prestonpans in 1745 was the beginning.

Battle of Bannockburn- 1314. An English army, led by Edward ll, marching to relieve Stirling Castle, were met by King Robert the Bruce at Bannock Burn near Stirling. The over-confident English army was soundly defeated, losing 3,000 to 4,000 men, Scottish casualties were light. King Edward ll escaped back to England.

Battle of Mons Graupius- AD 84. The precise place where the Caledonian leader, Calgacus, met the Romans advanced by Argicola is not known but it was probably in north east Scotland, in what is now known as Aberdeenshire. There was said to be 30,000 Caledonii who were defeated by the disciplined Roman Regions in the only known set piece battle in the north. 1,300 years later, a transcription error led to the name becoming "Grampian" which is the name now given to the Cairngorn mountains, east and south of the river Spey.

Battle of Kilsyth-1645. The Marquis of Montrose led his royalist force of Highlanders and Irish to another victory at Kilsyth, leaving him in control of much of Scotland. In England, King Charles l, was not faring so well against Cromwell, having been defeated at the Battle of Naseby.

The Battle of Glenfruin- 1603. 400 MacGregors ambushed a larger number of Colquhouns in the glen. They took no prisoners and 140 Colquhouns were killed. A large number of sheep and cattle were stolen. Two days before he journeyed to London to assume the title of King of England as well as Scotland, King James Vl held a judicial review of the incident. The MacGregor named was banned.

Stay tuned tomorrow to see what of "Scotland's finer things" I will find next!

4 comments:

  1. My hubby and I spent several hours visiting the museum and walking the grounds at Culloden. It was an awesome experience. The day was overcast, but the coldness we felt didn't come from the lack of the sun, but from all of the souls that remain there. We heard this battle compared to our Gettysburg. A horrific waste of life.

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  2. Interesting series of posts, Sarah. Thanks for sharing the information.

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  3. You are welcome ladies! Paisley, i hope to go to Scotland one day and that is one destination I wouldn't miss.

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