Battle of Slioch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Slioch |
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| Part of Wars of Scottish Independence | |||||||
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 Scottish Crown |
Rebels | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Prince Edward |
.svg){kind=small} Earl of Buchan |
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The Battle of Slioch was a small fight during the First War of Scottish Independence. Even though no clear winner was declared, this battle helped King Robert Bruce become stronger as the ruler of Scotland. It showed that his Scottish enemies could not stop him.
Why the Battle Happened
After winning against the English at the Battle of Loudoun Hill, King Robert Bruce gained more support in Scotland. But he still had many enemies within Scotland itself. The most important of these was John Comyn, Earl of Buchan. Bruce had killed Buchan's cousin, John III Comyn, which caused a lot of bad feelings.
In July 1307, King Edward I of England died. His son, Edward II, became king. Edward II was not as strong a leader as his father. This gave King Robert Bruce a chance to deal with his Scottish enemies.
Bruce first attacked the MacDoualls in Galloway. Then he fought the MacDougalls in Lorne. After these victories, he moved north-east towards Buchan's lands near Inverness. Bruce's army was much larger than Buchan's, and it seemed like Bruce would surely win.
However, before reaching the battle, King Bruce became very ill. He had to stop his advance and rest at a place called Slioch.
The Skirmish at Slioch
The Earl of Buchan saw that King Bruce was sick and decided to act. He quickly gathered an army. His goal was to weaken Bruce's forces or make them leave.
On Christmas Day in 1307, Buchan's army arrived at Slioch. King Bruce's brother, Prince Edward, was in charge of the royal forces. A fight broke out between archers from both sides. Neither army could gain a clear advantage. After some fighting, Buchan's forces pulled back.
Historian A. F. Murison wrote about what happened next. For three days in a row, there were small fights between groups of archers. Buchan's men kept losing these smaller battles. However, Buchan's army kept getting more soldiers. King Bruce's men, on the other hand, were starting to run out of food.
Because of this, King Bruce's men decided to move. They placed the sick King Bruce in a special carrying litter. His army marched slowly, ready to fight if needed. They focused only on defending themselves. They moved to a new spot in Strathogie, a little further north. Buchan's army stopped chasing them and broke up.
A few days later, Buchan returned with his forces. But again, he found King Bruce's army too strong. Buchan was forced to retreat once more.
After the Battle
A few months later, King Robert Bruce had recovered enough to continue his fight against his Scottish opponents. He was still carried along with his army as they captured more Scottish castles. Then, they moved towards Inverurie. There, King Robert Bruce and John Comyn, Earl of Buchan, would finally fight a decisive battle.
Sources
- Barbour, John. The Brus (Book 9). (Duncan, A A M ed.). Retrieved on 2007-05-27.
