Battle of Dunnichen
In the early centuries of the first millennium, Scotland was inhabited by a number of different tribes. The Pictish people lived in north and east Scotland. Their neighbours to the south were the Northumbrians or Angles, a powerful tribe who had established the kingdom of Bernicia. Always on the lookout to extend their power and enlarge their territory, the Northumbrians had advanced steadily northwards during the 7th century, successfully claiming the Lothians. Now they set their sights further north on the kingdom of Pictavia.
The Battle
It was the spring of 685 when the Northumbrian King, Egfrith, decided to advance north to battle with the Picts and claim their territory as his own. Leading a large and powerful force, Egfrith marched into Pictavia. But the Picts were ready and waiting. Their king, Bridei, had devised a plan. Using cunning tactics, Bridei drew the Northumbrians towards Dunnichen in Angus.
Bridei split his Pictish army in two. The strongest half he hid on Dunnichen Hill. Meanwhile the weaker half went down the hill to confront their enemy. As the battle progressed, the Picts, feigning fear, turned heel and retreated back over the hill, chased by the Northumbrians. This was the moment Bridei had hoped for. As the Northumbrians came over the hill, the bulk of the Pictish forces, who were lying in wait, attacked. There was no escape. The few who did manage to elude the swords and spears of the Picts, drowned in the marshy loch at the foot of the hill.
Destiny of a Nation
The Aftermath
The Picts won a great victory at the Battle of Dunnichen. Not only did the battle end Northumbrian domination of the Picts, but by curbing the Northumbrian expansion northwards, it created the foundations for the Scotland we know today.
The Story of the Stone
The Battle of Dunnichen with its far-reaching consequences was an event of enormous significance for the Picts, and would have been recounted from one generation to another. But it was not only in Pictavia that the battle was legendary. Over a century after it took place, the Northumbrian historian, Bede, wrote an account of it.
‘Egfrith, King of Northumbria, rashly led an army to ravage the province of the Picts. The enemy pretended to retreat, and lured the king into narrow mountain passes, where he was killed with the greater part of his forces... Many of the English at this time were killed, or forced to flee from Pictish territory.’
Bede, AD 731
The Picts too, left a record of the battle: not in writing but in stone. Standing like an ancient war memorial, the 8th century carved stone in the churchyard at Aberlemno in Angus, tells the story of the battle.