Scottish Battlefields

Scottish Battles Scottish history has been shaped and defined by a series of great battles. From Mons Graupius to Culloden, this book shows how terrain and politics shaped the campaigns and decisive engagements still remembered today. Each chapter also features sections on the developments of warfare: its tactics, equipment and styles of fighting. For the military historian, Scotland is an example of how a small country can fight off domination by a far larger neighbour. From Celtic warfare to the feudal host to the professional border armies of the 18th century, from guerilla warfare to the pitched battle, from siege to Border revier, Scotland is unique in having had almost every major type of warfare taking place within it frontiers. Battles such as Bannockburn, Flodden and Culloden, have had an impact far beyond Scotland. John Sadler is the author of "Battle for Northumbria".

Battles of the Scottish Lowlands:... This historical guide retells, in graphic detail, the story of nine of the most important battles to be fought in Scotland south of the Highland Line, stretching from Aberdeen to the Firth of Clyde. The battles range from medieval period to the time of Jacobite Rebellion. They show how weapons and equipment, tactics and strategy, and the make up of the armies themselves changed over the course of almost 500 years. By concentrating on these nine battles Stuart Reid provides a concise, coherent account of Scottish military history, and he presents detailed reassessments of each battle in the light of the very latest research. His book is fascinating introduction to Scottish military history and an essential guide for readers who are keen to explore these battle sites for themselves. Three of the battles belong to the medieval period and Scotland's fight to establish and maintain its independence from England - Wallace's victory at Stirling Bridge in 1296, Bruce's even greater victory at Bannockburn in 1314 and then, at the end of the period, the crushing defeat at Pinkie in 1547. Three more battles belong to the bloody civil wars of the seventeenth century - Montrose's great victory at Kilsyth in August 1645, Cromwell's triumph at the Battle of Dunbar in 1650 and the short, bloody action at Inverkeithing that followed. Finally for the Jacobite period the trilogy covers Sherriffmuir 1715, Prestonpans 1745 and the conclusive encounter at Falkirk 1746. By skillful use of maps, diagrams and photographs the author explains the complex, sometimes puzzling sequence of events that make these encounters so fascinating. He provides a detailed tour of each battleground as it appears to the visitor in the present day and rediscovers the lanes and by-ways tramped by soldiers hundreds of years ago.

Bannockburn 1314 (Osprey Campaign S.) The full story surrounding the battle that represented the climax of the career of King Robert the Bruce, and has since remained the most famous battle in Scottish history - the Battle of Bannockburn. In 1307 King Edward I of England, "The Hammer of the Scots" and William Wallace's nemesis, died at Burgh-on-Sands. His son, Edward II, was not from the same mould; incorrigibly idle and apathetic, he refused to take on the burdens of kingship, surrounding himself with favourites. The Scots under Robert the Bruce now had a chance to recover from the grievous punishment Edward I had inflicted upon them. By 1313 Bruce had capture every English-held castle bar Stirling. Faced with the complete collapse of the English position in Scotland even Edward II had no choice but to respond.

Grampian Battlefields: the Historic... Battles of North-East Scotland from AD84 to 1745.

Auldearn 1645: The Marquis of Montrose's... Scottish Campaign.

The Roman Conquest of Scotland: The... Battle of Mons Graupius AD 84.

Clan MacDonald's Greatest Defeat: The... Battle of Harlaw 1411.

The Killing Time: Killiecrankie and... Glencoe.

The Jacobite Wars: Scotland and the... Military Campaigns of 1715 and 1745. This book is a detailed exploration of the Jacobite military campaigns of 1715 and 1745, set against the background of Scottish political, religious and constitutional history. The author has written a clear and demythologized account of the military campaigns waged by the Jacobites against the Hanoverian monarchs. He draws on the work of recent historians who have come to emphasize the political significance of the rebellions (which had been dismissed by earlier historians), showing the danger faced by the Hanoverian regime during those years of political and religious turbulence. The Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745 occurred within the context of the 1707 Act of Union, acquiring the trappings of a national crusade to restore Scotland's independence. James Edward Stuart promised consistently to break the Union between Scotland and England if he became King. The rebellions also had great religious significance: the Jacobite cause was committed to restoring a Catholic dynasty to the throne and was therefore supported by the small number of Catholics in the country, and also the Episcopalians, who were together set against the Presbyterians. The failure of the rebellions, culminating in the Battle of Culloden, coincided with the national identity of Scotland becoming associated with Presbyterianism and North Britain. John L. Roberts presents the view that the political vulnerability of Hanoverians would explain the strength of Government reaction to the 1745 rebellion, especially in the Scottish Highlands, and the ferocity of its retribution, which has long been lamented in popular Scottish culture.

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