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 an end the ambitions of the  Young Pretender" to recover the throne for the Stewart dynasty.

... and few other GOOD FIGHTS!

Inverlochy, Inverness-shire, 2 February 1645 Alasdair MacColla rejoined the Marquis of Montrose at Blair Atholl in late November 1644. MacColla had recruited more clansmen from among the MacDonalds, MacLeans (all hero's) and Camerons and was eager to strike at the Campbells. Although it was winter, he persuaded Montrose to mount a daring raid into the western Highlands. Taking advantage of unusually mild weather, Montrose and MacColla descended from the mountains to burn and plunder around the Campbell stronghold of Inverary Castle for several weeks during December 1644 and January 1645, putting Campbells mercilessly to the sword. By the end of January 1645, Montrose and MacColla had advanced north to Kilcumin (now Fort Augustus) in Inverness-shire where they learned that Covenanters were marshalling their forces against them: Lord Seaforth with 5000 men blocked their route north while to the south the Marquis of Argyll and the Campbells, reinforced by troops from Lord Leven's army in England, were at Inverlochy intent on revenge. Montrose and MacColla decided to double back to attack Argyll. On 31 January 1645, they led their 1,500 men on a bold flanking march through the frozen mountains. The Highlanders and Irishmen covered thirty miles of mountainous terrain in under thirty-six hours to descend on the Campbells at Inverlochy at the foot of Ben Nevis during the early hours of 2 February. The Marquis of Argyll, suffering from a dislocated shoulder, retired to his galley on Loch Linnhe leaving Sir Duncan Campbell of Auchinbreck in command of 2,000 Campbells and 1,500 Lowland infantry. Auchinbreck drew up his forces in front of Inverlochy Castle, with the Campbells in the centre flanked by Lowlanders on the two wings and a small reserve of Highlanders in the rear.  Montrose deployed his 600 Highlanders in the centre and divided the Irishmen on the flanks, with Alasdair MacColla (MacDonnell) on the right and Magnus O'Cahan on the left. He kept his small force of 20 cavalry in reserve. Montrose struck at dawn, before Auchinbreck could assess the position in daylight, with a swift ferocious charge. On both flanks the Irish (no doubt some of Paul's ancestors were there on the Irish and Maclean side) immediately routed the Lowlanders while the Highlanders clashed violently with the Campbells in the centre. The cavalry worked around to outflank the Campbells, scattered their reserve and blocked their retreat to the castle. Attacked from all sides, the Campbells were slaughtered by their bitter enemies of the Highland clans Up to 1,700 Campbells were killed, including Auchinbreck who was beheaded personally by Alasdair MacColla (otherwise known as Colitto). The power of the Campbells in the Highlands was shattered. Having witnessed the massacre of his clansmen, the Marquis of Argyll fled in disgrace from the scene in his galley and to Edinburgh. Chicken! But then again, he was a Campbell.

For centuries, the direction of Scotland's development was influenced by the outcome of the many battles which took place on her soil - or over the Border in England. There were glorious victories and terrible defeats. Many, but not all battles, were fought against the English. And, it has to be said it was not unknown for the Scots to initiate the contest by invading their larger neighbour!   ... in no particular order
Battle of Aldearn - 1645  While encamped at Auldearn, two miles from Nairn, the Duke of Montrose was surprised by a large force of Covenanters but fought back and defeated them. The Covenanter army lost 2,000 men that day.
Battle of Ancrum Moor - 1545  During the "Rough Wooing" as King Henry VIII of England tried to persuade Mary Queen of Scots to marry his son, an English force marched into the Scottish Borders, destroying Melrose Abbey. The invaders were defeated at Ancrum Moor by a force only half their size consisting of Douglases, Leslies Lindsays and Scotts.

Battle of Bannockburn - 1314  An English army, led by Edward II, 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 3/4,000 men, Scottish casualties were light. King Edward II escaped back to England.
Battle of Bothwell Bridge - 1679  A force of 10,000 government forces, led by the Duke of Monmouth and Graham of Claverhouse, dispersed 6,000 Covenanters who had gathered at Hamilton.
Battle of the Boyne - 1690  Using finance and troops supplied by Louis XIV of France, James VII made a final attempt to regain his throne. He landed in Ireland where he had a large number of supporters amongst the Catholic community. King William (of Orange) personally led an army of 30,000 men, outnumbering the Jacobites. As James advanced towards Dublin, the armies met west of Drogheda, at the river Boyne. James was defeated and fled back to France.
Battle of the Braes - 1882  While perhaps not in the same league as many other battles on Scottish soil, the Battle of the Braes got a lot of publicity at the time. It arose as part of the Highland "Clearances" when a group of crofters at Braes, near Portree refused to allow the Sheriff's Officer deliver a summons. 50 Glasgow policemen were sent to put down the "uprising" and a battle took place at Braes when 100 crofters attacked them. The ensuing court cases received a lot of publicity and helped to highlight the problems being faced by the crofting communities.
Battle of Carberry Hill - 1567  A confrontation between Mary Queen of Scots and an army of lords, led by
James Douglas, Earl of Morton. The lords wanted to arrest Lord Bothwell, Mary's husband, because they believed that Bothwell had been involved in the murder of Mary's second husband, Lord Darnley. After long negotiations (there was no actual fighting) Mary agreed but Bothwell fled to Orkney. A few days later, Mary was imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle.
Battle of the Clans - 1396  To resolve a dispute between the clans Chattan and Kaye, King Robert III arranged for representatives of the two clans to meet in combat on the North Inch in Perth. Watched by the king, his courtiers and a large crowd, clan Kaye was routed - supposedly only one survived, by swimming across the river Tay.
Battle of Flodden - 1513  Once again the "Auld Alliance" between Scotland and France came into play and King James IV responded to a request from Louis XII of France who was being attacked by King Henry VIII of England. Despite treaties which had been signed between Scotland and England in 1502, James IV advanced into England with an army said to number 30,000. After some early successes, a number of castles fell to the Scottish cannon. But an English army, led by the earl of Surrey, met the Scots on Flodden Field in Northumberland. After a bloody battle, in which King James and the flower of Scottish nobility fell, the English commander estimated that 10,000 Scottish soldiers had been killed.

Battle of Prestonpans - 1745  After raising his standard at Glenfinnan on August 19, Prince Charles Edward Stewart marched south to Edinburgh, reaching there by September 14. The Hanoverian army under Sir John Cope gathered near the hamlet of Prestonpans to the east of the city. A local Jacobite sympathiser surprised the Goverenment forces by picking their way across a marsh during the night and attacking at dawn. They soon put the redcoats to flight. Casualties on both side were relatively light but 1600 government soldiers and their supplies were captured.
Battle of Stirling Bridge - 1297  William Wallace fought a guerilla war for a number of years against the English who were effectively in occupation with the English king's puppet, John Balliol on the throne. The Earl of Surrey led an punitive force to confront Wallace and they met at Stirling Bridge. The overconfident English army advanced across a narrow bridge across the Forth. At the right moment, Wallace ordered the attack and the English foot soldiers were swept into the river.
Battle of Tippermuir - 1644  Marching towards Perth, the Duke of Montrose found his way blocked by a force of Covenanters led by Lord Elcho who commanded the garrison at Perth. Montrose was victorious and marched into Perth, much to the discomfort of the local clergy.

SCOTTISH FACTS - MAYBE YOU DID NOT KNOW!

Bronze Age dug-out was found south side of the River Tay,

Many moons ago Scotland was virtually covered in dense forest, there was only one way to get around – by boat! Archaeologists are hoping to learn more about how prehistoric Scots used the vast network of rivers and lochs, with the excavation of a 3,000-year-old log boat, it was my drinking pal Ray ( an archaeologist himself) who told me of this one.  The Bronze Age dug-out was found south side of the River Tay, in autumn 2001. Radio carbon tests conducted later dated the 30-foot-long log boat, which had been carved out of a single piece of oak, to around 1000BC. David Strachan, archaeologist at the Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust (PKHT), says the log boat was a hugely significant find. "It is fantastic. Generally log boats found in Scotland tend to date from 500BC to 1000AD. This boat dates from 1000BC so that puts it in the later Bronze Age, so it's quite an early example. At first, it was decided to leave the boat where it was found, now archaeologists from the PKHT, in partnership with Perth Museum, Historic Scotland and the National Museums of Scotland (NMS), are preparing to lift it onto dry land to be conserved. Seven log boats were discovered in the Tay area in the 19th century, but only one, dating from around 500AD, still survives and is now on display in Dundee Museum.

Scottish inventions
Since before the Industrial Revolution, Scots have been at the forefront of innovation and discovery across a wide range of spheres: the steam engine, the pedal bicycle, macadam roads, the telephone, television, the transistor, the motion picture, penicillin, electromagnetics, radar, insulin, calculus and animal cloning are only a few of the most significant products of Scottish ingenuity.
 

SCOTLAND: Northernmost country of the United Kingdom. Area: 30,421 sq mi (78,789 sq km). Population (2001): 5,062,011. Capital: Edinburgh. The population is a blend of Celtic, Angle, and Norman ancestry. Languages: English, Scottish Gaelic, and Scots. Religion: Church of Scotland (Presbyterian; official). Currency: pound sterling. Scotland has three major geographic regions. The Highlands, in the north, are occupied by a series of lochs and the Grampian Mountains. The Lowlands, which include some of Scotland's best farmland, comprise the other two major regions: the Midland Valley (Central Lowlands) and the Southern Uplands; the Southern Uplands feature narrow, flat valleys separating table mountains. Scotland has a temperate oceanic climate. Important industries are coal and oil production, electronics, forestry, and marine fishing. Picts inhabited the region when it was invaded by the Romans c. AD 80. In the 5th century it split into four kingdoms under the Picts, Scots, Britons, and Angles. Scottish unification began in the 9th century. It came under a heavy Anglicizing influence from the 11th century, and its ruler was forced to pay homage to the English crown in 1174, leading to numerous future disputes. The Scottish and English kingdoms were united in 1603 when James VI, son of Mary, Queen of Scots, ascended the English throne as James I. Scotland became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707, when the parliaments of both governments passed the Act of Union. The English prevailed in two Scottish rebellions in the 18th century, and after 1745 the history of Scotland became part of the history of Great Britain. Scotland has no sovereign executive but retains vestiges of ancient sovereignty in its own legal and educational systems. In 1997 the Scots passed a referendum that allowed them to establish their own parliament in Edinburgh to vote on wide-ranging political issues while remaining part of the United Kingdom. The Scottish Parliament first convened in 1999.

Battle of Inverlochy - 1645  The Marquis of Montrose, after his success at the Battle of Tippermuir (see below), was being pursued by a Covenanting force led by the Marquis of Argyll and his Campbell clan (though a General Baillie also though he was in command and the two men could not stand the sight of one another!). Argyll's forces amounted to 3,000 experienced Highland fighters; Montrose had about half that but they were also well trained - and included a contingent of MacDonalds and Macleans who had scores to settle with the Campbells. Montrose showed his skill as a general and confused Covenanters who were subsequently routed - it is said that 1,500 Campbells and their alliers were massacred that day.

Battle of Mons Graupius - AD84  The precise place where the Caledonian leader, Calgacus, met the Roman advance led by Agricola is not known but it was probably in north-east Scotland in what is now Aberdeenshire. There were said to be 30,000 Caledonii who were defeated by the disciplined Roman legions 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 Cairngorm mountains, east and south of the river Spey.

Battle of Harlaw - 1411  When Donald, Lord of the Isles, marched with possibly as many as 10,000 clansmen eastwards from his stronghold, sacking Inverness and headed for Aberdeen. Alexander, earl of Mar gathered together a force of volunteers and marched with his smaller force to meet the invaders. Despite numerous charges by the clansmen, they were unable to break through the earl of Mar's lines and eventually withdrew, back to Inverness and the west. Casualties at "Bloody Harlaw" were high on both sides. Including the Maclean.

Battle of the Standard - 1138  Taking advantage of the precarious hold King Stephen of England had on the throne, King David I of Scotland made a number of successful incursions into northern England. In 1138, in another push into Northumberland, his mixed force of Lowlanders, Highlanders and Gallloway men were confronted by an army of Northern nobles recruited by the Archbishop of York. Their flying banners gave the battle, beyond Northallerton in Northumberland. A number of charges were beaten back by English bowmen and King David decided to make an orderly withdrawal back across the border.