Battle of Carham
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Carham was a battle between the Kingdom of Scotland
and the Northumbrians at Carham on Tweed
in 1018 or possibly 1016. It is also sometimes known as the Battle of Coldstream, from the town of Coldstream
. The battle was a victory for Máel Coluim II
described as 'Malcolm son of Cyneth, king of Scots' and Owain the Bald, King of Strathclyde over 'Huctred, son of Waldef, earl of the Northumbrians', as he was described by Symeon of Durham. The battle is thought to have strengthened Scotland's hold on Lothian
by some. However, there is a school of thought led by Marjorie O. Anderson who believe that Lothian was granted to Kenneth, King of Scots in 973 by Edgar 'The Pacific', King of England. As GWS Barrow says in his 'Kingdom of the Scots', 'In (these) English accounts, the Battle of Carham of 1018 is not given any special significance. Scottish historians, on the other hand, have ignored or played down the story of Edgar's cession of Lothian, and have said bluntly that Lothian was won for Scotland at the Battle of Carham.' In 1029 Canute
, King of England
, Denmark
, and Norway
, invaded Scotland
and seems to have recognised Malcolm's possession of Lothian. This could be recognition of the de facto occupation of Lothian by the Scots before 973. As Barrow says, 'What English annalists recorded as the 'cession' of Lothian was...the recognition by a powerful but extremely remote south-country king of a long-standing fait accompli.'
After Carham, much of present day Scotland was under the control of the King of Scots although Norsemen
still held sway in Ross
, Caithness
, Sutherland
and The Isles. The Lords of Galloway remained semi-independent. 'Scotland' was the term used to describe what constitutes present-day Scotland south of the Forth and Clyde. The kingdom north of that east-west line continued to be called 'Scotia' for some considerable time to come. Indeed, it was not until the time of King David I of Scotland that people in the south-east of the kingdom began to think of themselves as 'Scots'. In his own charters (e.g. to St Cuthbert's in Edinburgh), he continued to refer to the men of Lothian as 'English'.
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
and the Northumbrians at Carham on Tweed
Carham
Carham is a village in Northumberland, England. The village lies on the south side of the River Tweed about west of Coldstream.- History :Near to Carham are the extensive remains of Early British camps and a bronze sword, now in the British Museum, discovered in the nearby Tweed.Carham on the...
in 1018 or possibly 1016. It is also sometimes known as the Battle of Coldstream, from the town of Coldstream
Coldstream
Coldstream is a small town in the Borders district of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Tweed in Berwickshire, while Northumberland in England lies to the south bank, with Cornhill-on-Tweed the nearest village...
. The battle was a victory for Máel Coluim II
Malcolm II of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Cináeda , was King of the Scots from 1005 until his death...
described as 'Malcolm son of Cyneth, king of Scots' and Owain the Bald, King of Strathclyde over 'Huctred, son of Waldef, earl of the Northumbrians', as he was described by Symeon of Durham. The battle is thought to have strengthened Scotland's hold on Lothian
Lothian
Lothian forms a traditional region of Scotland, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills....
by some. However, there is a school of thought led by Marjorie O. Anderson who believe that Lothian was granted to Kenneth, King of Scots in 973 by Edgar 'The Pacific', King of England. As GWS Barrow says in his 'Kingdom of the Scots', 'In (these) English accounts, the Battle of Carham of 1018 is not given any special significance. Scottish historians, on the other hand, have ignored or played down the story of Edgar's cession of Lothian, and have said bluntly that Lothian was won for Scotland at the Battle of Carham.' In 1029 Canute
Canute the Great
Cnut the Great , also known as Canute, was a king of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden. Though after the death of his heirs within a decade of his own and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, his legacy was largely lost to history, historian Norman F...
, King of England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, invaded Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and seems to have recognised Malcolm's possession of Lothian. This could be recognition of the de facto occupation of Lothian by the Scots before 973. As Barrow says, 'What English annalists recorded as the 'cession' of Lothian was...the recognition by a powerful but extremely remote south-country king of a long-standing fait accompli.'
After Carham, much of present day Scotland was under the control of the King of Scots although Norsemen
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
still held sway in Ross
Ross
Ross is a region of Scotland and a former mormaerdom, earldom, sheriffdom and county. The name Ross allegedly derives from a Gaelic word meaning a headland - perhaps a reference to the Black Isle. The Norse word for Orkney - Hrossay meaning horse island - is another possible origin. The area...
, Caithness
Caithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
, Sutherland
Sutherland
Sutherland is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic administrative county of Scotland. It is now within the Highland local government area. In Gaelic the area is referred to according to its traditional areas: Dùthaich 'IcAoidh , Asainte , and Cataibh...
and The Isles. The Lords of Galloway remained semi-independent. 'Scotland' was the term used to describe what constitutes present-day Scotland south of the Forth and Clyde. The kingdom north of that east-west line continued to be called 'Scotia' for some considerable time to come. Indeed, it was not until the time of King David I of Scotland that people in the south-east of the kingdom began to think of themselves as 'Scots'. In his own charters (e.g. to St Cuthbert's in Edinburgh), he continued to refer to the men of Lothian as 'English'.