Battle of Harlaw
| Battle of Harlaw | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the feud between the Clan Donald and the Stewart royal family | |||||||
Bennachie from the east; the battlefield is hidden by the fold of ground in the middle distance | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Scottish Crown (Lowland clans loyal to the Duke of Albany) | Lordship of the Isles (Highland clans) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar Provost of Aberdeen † Sir James Scrymgeour, Constable of Dundee † Sir Alexander Ogilvie, Sheriff of Angus † |
Donald of Islay, Lord of the Isles Hector MacLean † Callum Beg Macintosh John Mór Tanister | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Several thousand | Fewer than 10,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 600 killed | 900 killed | ||||||
| Designated | 21 March 2011 | ||||||
| Reference no. | BTL11 | ||||||
The Battle of Harlaw (Scottish Gaelic: Cath Gairbheach) was a Scottish clan battle fought on 24 July 1411 just north of Inverurie in Aberdeenshire. It was one of a series of battles fought during the Middle Ages between the barons of northeast Scotland and those from the west coast.
The battle was part of a series of battles fought to resolve competing claims to the Earldom of Ross, a large region of northern Scotland. Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, Regent of Scotland, had taken control of the earldom ostensibly as guardian of his granddaughter Euphemia Leslie, but in truth, though Donald of Islay, Lord of the Isles had the superior claim, Albany wanted Ross for his younger son, John. Donald, Lord of the Isles, had married Euphemia's aunt Mariota. Donald therefore invaded Ross with the intention of seizing the earldom by force and preventing Albany from taking all of Scotland.
The nearest contemporary record of the battle is found in the Irish Annals of Connacht, where under the year 1411, it is stated, "Mac Domnaill of Scotland won a great victory over the Galls of Scotland". The 2011 article by Iain G. MacDonald, "Donald of the Isles and the Earldom of Ross: West-Highland Perspectives on the Battle of Harlaw", also cites sources recording the victory.