Battle of Dupplin Moor

Battle of Dupplin Moor was fought between supporters of the infant Bruce king and rebels supporting the Balliol claim in 1332.

Background

The death of Robert I in 1329 left Scotland with a four-year-old king. David II (1329-1371) had a right to the throne solely because of the career and residual influence of his father. His claim to the throne was far from absolute and, from 1329 was challenged by Edward Balliol, son of John Balliol, John I of Scotland. The rebels were known as 'The Disinherited' due to the fact that they lost their land as a consequence of the Battle of Bannockburn.

Battle

The rebels and their English allies sailed from Hull to Kinghorn to get round the terms of the Treaty of Northampton that did not permit English forces to cross the Tweed. The two sides met at Dupplin Moor, Scone, some 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Perth on 10 & 11th August 1332. Forsaking the guerilla tactics of Bruce and Wallace, the Earl of Mar was drawn into a pitched battle against the rebels. In what would become a model for later English victories, the combined use of longbow archers and men-at-arms, supported by heavy cavalry, overcame the Scottish loyalists. Along with 2000 men at-arms, 70 knights and over 20 nobles, the Earl of Mar and Bruce's bastard son were killed in the battle.

A stone cross, now in St. Serf's Church in Dunning, once marked the site of the battle.

Aftermath

David II was sent to France for his own safety in 1334, but Balliol was driven from Scotland a matter of months later. David returned to Scotland in 1341 and pursued a foreign policy largely in French interests.

References

• Pete Armstrong, "The Battle of Dupplin Moor, 1332"

External links

• [1]