The Battle of Inverurie, also known as the Battle of Barra, was fought in May 1308 in the north-east of Scotland. Though part of the wider Wars of Scottish Independence it is more properly viewed as an episode in a brief but bitter civil war. The battle was a victory for the Scottish King Robert Bruce over his chief domestic enemy, John Comyn, 3rd Earl of Buchan. It was followed by a violent act of destruction, at least equal to, if not greater than, some of the excesses practiced elsewhere by the English. The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between Scotland and England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. ... May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... Events Henry VII is elected as king of the Holy Roman Empire. ... Oldmeldrum is a village and parish in Aberdeenshire, not far from Inverurie in north east Scotland. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Robert I, the Bruce, in a conjectural drawing Robert I, (Roibert a Briuis in medieval Gaelic, Raibeart Bruis in modern Scottish Gaelic and Robert de Brus or Robert de Bruys in Norman French), usually known in modern English today as Robert the Bruce (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), was... The early period of the First War of Scottish Independence lasted from the outbreak of the war in 1296 until the coronation of Robert the Bruce as King of Scots in 1306. ... Combatants Kingdom of Scotland Kingdom of England Commanders Richard Siward John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey Strength Approx. ... Combatants Kingdom of Scotland Kingdom of England Commanders Andrew Moray William Wallace Surrey Cressingham† Strength 7,000 infantry and 150 cavalry 30,000[citation needed] infantry and 750 cavalry Casualties  ? Over 7,000 killed The Battle of Stirling Bridge was one of the series of conflicts of the Wars of... Combatants Scotland England Commanders William Wallace Edward I of England Strength 500 cavalry, 9,500 infantry 2,000 cavalry, 12,000 infantry. ... The Battle of Roslin took place on 24 February 1303 at Roslin, Scotland. ... There have been at least chippermunkey sieges of Stirling Castle. ... Combatants Scotland England Commanders Robert I of Scotland Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke Strength 4,500 soldiers 3,000 soldiers Casualties 3,500+  ? The Battle of Methven took place at Methven in Scotland in 1306, during the Wars of Scottish Independence. ... Combatants Scottish Royal Army Clan MacDougall of Lorn Commanders Robert Bruce John MacDougall Strength unknown unknown Casualties unknown unknown The Battle of Dalry or the Battle of Dail Righ-the Kings Field- was fought in the summer of 1306 near Tyndrum, Scotland, between the army of Robert Bruce and... The Battle of Glen Trool was a battle in the Scottish Wars of Independence in March 1307. ... The Battle of Loudon Hill was fought in 1307 between the Scots and the English. ... // Battle of the Pass of Brander The Battle of the Pass of Brander forms a small part of the wider struggle known as the Wars of Scottish Independence, and a large part of the civil war between the Bruce and Balliol factions, a parallel and overlaping conflict. ... Combatants Kingdom of Scotland Kingdom of England Commanders Robert Bruce Edward II of England Strength about 8,000 20,000 Casualties unknown unknown The Battle of Bannockburn (June 23, 1314 – June 24, 1314) was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence. ... The Battle of Faughart was fought in 1318 between the forces of England, and a Scots-Irish army. ... Combatants Scotland England Commanders Sir James Douglas and Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray William Melton Strength unknown unknown Casualties unknown, but light unknown, but heavy The Battle of Myton, more properly known as the Chapter of Myton, was a minor engagement in the ongoing Scottish Wars of Independence, fought... The Declaration of Arbroath was a declaration of Scottish independence, and set out to confirm Scotlands status as an independent, sovereign state and its use of military action when unjustly attacked. ... The Battle of Boroughbridge was a small but important battle in the conflicts between Edward II of England and his rebellious barons. ... Combatants Kingdom of Scotland Kingdom of England Commanders Robert Bruce John de Bretagne, 1st Earl of Richmond Strength unknown unknown Casualties unknown unknown The Battle of Old Byland was a significant encounter between Scots and English troops in Yorkshire in October 1322, forming part of the Wars of Scottish Independence. ... The Treaty of Corbeil (1326) renewed the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France. ... The Battle of Stanhope Park was fought in northern England in August 1327 and forms part of the Wars of Scottish Independence. ... Prior to the Treaty of Edinbugh-Northampton, Edward II claimed he adhered to a truce, but he allowed English privateers to attack Flemish vessels trading with Scotland. ... The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between Scotland and England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. ... The early period of the First War of Scottish Independence lasted from the outbreak of the war in 1296 until the coronation of Robert the Bruce as King of Scots in 1306. ... The Second War of Scottish Independence began properly in 1333 when Edward III overturned the 1328 Treaty of Northampton, under which England recognised the legitimacy of the dynasty established by Robert Bruce. ... Motto: (Eng: No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen of the UK Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by... The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between Scotland and England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. ... Robert I, King of Scots, usually known as Robert the Bruce (July 11, 1274 – June 7, 1329, reigned 1306 – 1329), was, according to a modern biographer (Geoffrey Barrow), a great hero who lived in a minor country. ...

Blood Feud

In February 1306, for reasons that are still unclear, Robert Bruce and his supporters murdered John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, also known as the Red Comyn. Comyn was a nephew of the former King John Balliol and had been a leading player in the wars against the English. His death automatically meant that his extensive network of family and associates would regard Bruce as an enemy, his seizure of the Scottish crown notwithstanding. Men, in other words, who had been hitherto in the forefront of the struggle against the English occupation of Scotland were now to see Bruce as the greater enemy. Chief among these was Comyn's cousin and namesake, John Comyn, 3rd Earl of Buchan. The alliance against the new Scottish king was so strong that it is almost certain that his cause would have been overwhelmed but for the death in July 1307 of Edward I of England. His son, Edward II, soon preoccupied with political problems at home, left his Scottish allies unsupported at a critical time. Bruce, a masterly soldier as well as a politician, acted quickly, on the assumption that the English were bound to return in strength for the campaigning season in 1308. John Balliol and his wife. ... Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), popularly known as Longshanks because of his 6 foot 2 inch (1. ... Edward II, (April 25, 1284 – September 21, 1327), of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until deposed in January, 1327. ...

Lightning War

One by one King Robert knocked out his domestic enemies, beginning with the Balliol party in Galloway. From the south of the country he punched through the English held central lowlands, making his way by the western route through Argyllshire through the Great Glen towards Inverness and the north-east, towards the territory held by Buchan. He had under his command some 3000 men, at least according to a letter sent by the Earl of Ross to King Edward. It's almost certain that Buchan would have been unable to match such a force, but he was saved from immediate destruction when Bruce was overtaken by an unspecified illness, which kept him out of action for a considerable time. During this period much of his army melted away, leaving him with no more than about 700 men by the spring of 1308. Galloway (Scottish Gaelic, Gall-ghaidhealaibh or Gallobha, Lowland Scots Gallowa) today refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright in southwest Scotland, but has fluctuated greatly in size over history. ... Argyll, sometimes called Argyllshire, is one of the traditional counties of Scotland. ... The Great Glen, also known as Glen Albyn or Glen Mor is a series of valleys in Scotland running 100 kilometres from Inverness on the Moray Firth to Fort William at the head of Loch Linnhe. ... Inverness (Inbhir Nis in Scottish Gaelic) is the only city in the Highland council area and the Highlands of Scotland. ... The title Earl of Ross has existed in both Scotland and Ireland, although it is most commonly associated with the former. ...

Although Buchan made some attempt to take advantage of the situation by attacking the king's camp at Slioch, his actions were at best desultory and half-hearted. Unfortunately the only accounts we have of the whole campaign in Aberdeenshire are from sources uniformly hostile to Buchan. In John Barbour's narrative he appears especially dim. It is certainly true that his skills as a soldier were at best second-rate, as he allowed the Bruce party to capture castles one by one virtually unmolested. But it also seems to be true that the forces at his disposal, especially his peasant levies, were unreliable, which explains the rapid collapse of his army in the decisive encounter of the northern war. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The Hill of Barra

During his illness King Robert was carried from place to place by his supporters. In May 1308 his army made camp at Inverurie near Oldmeldrum. On the 22nd Buchan gathered his forces, ready to attack Bruce the following day. The size of his army is unknown; but he at least had the advantage of surprise. However, when the attack came it was partial and un-cordinated, providing some additional support for the contention that he had little capacity as a commander. His army made camp at Meldrum, to the north-east of the enemy. At dawn on the 23d David de Brechin made a surprise attack on Bruce's camp. His men galloped over the bridge on the River Urie at Balhalgardy right into the streets of Inverurie. Taken completely unprepared, Bruce's sentries were quickly cut down, those who survived taking refuge in the nearby castle. It was the decisive moment which, if followed through, might have brought victory. But Buchan's main force was still too far away to take advantage of this opportunity. More seriously, Brechin seems to have been the only man ready for action, as the rest the army was at best half-prepared. Bruce, who was still ill, rose from his bed and prepared a counter-attack. As the enemy approached Buchan hastily drew up his forces astride the road to Inverurie, between Barra Hill and the marshes of the Lochter Burn. His unreliable feudal levies were placed to the rear, with the knights and men-at-arms taking up a position to the front. The levies seem to have been given the assurance that Bruce was too ill to take to the field in person; and their shocked reaction when he came into sight-in the fashion of El Cid-explains why Buchan's army collapsed so quickly. John Barbour describes the scene in his rhyming narrative; Inverurie is a burgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland approximately 16 miles north west of Aberdeen along the A96 road. ... Oldmeldrum is a village and parish in Aberdeenshire, not far from Inverurie in north east Scotland. ... Statue of El Cid in Burgos. ...

The king came on in fine array

With much display his foes stood set

Until the ranks were nerly met.

But when his foemen saw the king

Advancing without lingering,

A little on their reins they drew.

The king by this time right well knew

That in their hearts they were distressed,

And with his banners forward pressed.

Thus they retreated more and more.

And when the small folk with them saw

Their leaders all retreating so,

They quickly turned their backs to go,

And fled and scattered far and wide.

Their lords, that still were side by side,

When they beheld the small folk flee,

And the king advancing steadily,

Themselves became disheartened so

That they, too, turned their backs to go.

A short while stayed they side by side,

And then they scattered far and wide.

Buchan made some attempt to steady the line, but he too soon joined the flight, pursued by Bruce's men as far as Fyvie. The fugitive earl took his flight all the way to England, where he died the same year. The Battle of Inverurie ended active resistance to King Robert in Aberdeenshire. He was not, however prepared to risk leaving a potentially hostile district in his rear, and took drastic action which was to last in living memory for some fifty years beyond the event. Fyvie is a small village in the region of Buchan, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. ...

The Rape of Buchan

No sooner was the battle concluded than Bruce ordered his men to begin the systematic devastation of the earldom of Buchan. Those still loyal to Comyn were killed outright, farms and crops were destroyed, homes burned, cattle slaughtered. The aim was not just to reduce the area as a possible base for future hostile operations, but to break any remaining bonds of loyalty between the local people and the Comyns, a difficult task, as they had been in Aberdeenshire for a century. As a piece of political terrorism the Herschip or Rape of Buchan had the intended effect. The area was 'pacified' in the most frightful sense of that ambigious term, and would never again rise against the house of Bruce. When Henry Beaumont, the husband of Alice Comyn, Buchan's niece and heir, made an appearance some thirty years later as a successor to the Comyns he found little in the way of local support. Henry Beaumont, titular fourth Earl of Buchan, was a key figure in the Anglo-Scots wars of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, known as the Wars of Scottish Independence. ...

References

PRIMARY

• Barbour, John, The Bruce, trans. A. A. Douglas, 1964.
• Bower, Walter, Scotichronicon, ed. D. E. R. Watt, 1987-96.
• Fordun, John of, Chronicles of the Scottish Nation, ed. W. F. Skene, 1872.

SECONDARY

• Barrow, G. W. S., Robert Bruce and the Communuity of the Realm of Scotland, 1976.
• Barron, E. M., The Scottish War of Independence, 1934.
• Meldrum, E, Bruce's Buchan Campaign, in Deeside Field, vol. 5, 1966.
• Marren, P, Grampian Battlefields, 1990.