Battle of Sauchieburn
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Sauchieburn was fought on June 11, 1488, at the side of Sauchie Burn, a stream about two miles south of Stirling
, Scotland
. The battle was fought between as many as 30,000 troops of King James III of Scotland
and some 18,000 troops raised by a group of dissident Scottish nobles including Alexander Home, 1st Lord Home
, nominally led by the king's 15-year-old son, Prince James, Duke of Rothesay
.
James III had faced open rebellion for a few months, but chose to face the rebels close to where his ancestor Robert I of Scotland
had defeated the English at the Battle of Bannockburn
.
The battle went badly for the Royalists. Persistent legends, based on the highly coloured and unreliable accounts of sixteenth century chroniclers such as Adam Abell
, Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie
, John Lesley
, and George Buchanan
, claim that James III was assassinated at Milltown, near Bannockburn
, soon after the battle. There is no contemporary evidence to support this account, nor the allegation that he fled the battle, nor the tale that his assassin impersonated a priest in order to approach James.
A story is told that, on the eve of the battle, Sir David Lindsay, son of Sir John, Lord Lindsay of the Byres, presented James III with a "great grey horse" that would carry him faster than any other horse into or away from the battle. Unfortunately, the horse threw the King during the battle, and James III was either killed in the fall, or was finished off by enemy soldiers.
Prince James ascended to the throne, and reigned as James IV
for 25 years. Throughout his reign he wore a heavy iron chain around his waist, next to the skin, as a constant reminder of his role in the death of his father.
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
, 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...
. The battle was fought between as many as 30,000 troops of King James III of Scotland
James III of Scotland
James III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family.His reputation as the...
and some 18,000 troops raised by a group of dissident Scottish nobles including Alexander Home, 1st Lord Home
Alexander Home, 1st Lord Home
Sir Alexander Home of that Ilk, 1st Lord Home was in 1448 Sheriff Deputy for Berwickshire, and was made a Lord of Parliament on 2 August 1473...
, nominally led by the king's 15-year-old son, Prince James, Duke of Rothesay
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
.
James III had faced open rebellion for a few months, but chose to face the rebels close to where his ancestor Robert I of Scotland
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
had defeated the English at the Battle of Bannockburn
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
.
The battle went badly for the Royalists. Persistent legends, based on the highly coloured and unreliable accounts of sixteenth century chroniclers such as Adam Abell
Adam Abell
Adam Abell was a Scottish Friar at Jedburgh Abbey. He wrote a chronicle in the 1530s that gives an insight into contemporary thought and contains anecdotes that appear in later writings.-Life:...
, Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie
Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie
Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie was a Scottish chronicler, author of The Historie and Chronicles of Scotland, 1436–1565, the first history of Scotland to be composed in Scots rather than Latin....
, John Lesley
John Lesley
John Lesley was a Scottish Roman Catholic bishop and historian. His father was Gavin Lesley, rector of Kingussie, Badenoch.-Early career:...
, and George Buchanan
George Buchanan (humanist)
George Buchanan was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. He was part of the Monarchomach movement.-Early life:...
, claim that James III was assassinated at Milltown, near Bannockburn
Bannockburn
Bannockburn is a village immediately south of the city of Stirling in Scotland. It is named after the Bannock Burn, a burn running through the village before flowing into the River Forth.-History:...
, soon after the battle. There is no contemporary evidence to support this account, nor the allegation that he fled the battle, nor the tale that his assassin impersonated a priest in order to approach James.
A story is told that, on the eve of the battle, Sir David Lindsay, son of Sir John, Lord Lindsay of the Byres, presented James III with a "great grey horse" that would carry him faster than any other horse into or away from the battle. Unfortunately, the horse threw the King during the battle, and James III was either killed in the fall, or was finished off by enemy soldiers.
Prince James ascended to the throne, and reigned as James IV
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
for 25 years. Throughout his reign he wore a heavy iron chain around his waist, next to the skin, as a constant reminder of his role in the death of his father.
Participants
Some of the participants in the Battle of Sauchieburn included:- Royalists:
- Alexander Cunningham, 1st Earl of GlencairnAlexander Cunningham, 1st Earl of GlencairnAlexander Cunningham, 1st Earl of Glencairn, 1st Lord Kilmaurs was a Scottish nobleman.He was firstly created a Lord of Parliament in 1450, with the title Lord Kilmaurs....
, slain in the battle; - Malise Graham, 1st Earl of MenteithMalise Graham, 1st Earl of Menteith-Biography:He is the first of his name to have borne the title of Earl of Menteith in his own right. He was the only son of Sir Patrick Graham of Kincardine. Patrick was the second son of Sir Patrick Graham, ancestor of the Earls and Dukes of Montrose...
; - David Lindsay, 1st Duke of MontroseDavid Lindsay, 1st Duke of MontroseDavid Lindsay, 1st Duke of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman.He was the son of Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford, and inherited the Earldom of Crawford on his father's death in 1453...
; - Lord Erskine, slain in the battle;
- Lord Graham;
- Lord Maxwell;
- Lord Ruthven, slain in the battle;
- Sir David Lindsay of Byres, who in the legendary account gave King James III the horse that threw him;
- Roger Grierson I of Lag, Fatally wounded
- The troops were largely from Scotland's northern counties, plus some burghBurghA burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
levies.
- Alexander Cunningham, 1st Earl of Glencairn
- Rebels:
- Alexander Home, 1st Lord HomeAlexander Home, 1st Lord HomeSir Alexander Home of that Ilk, 1st Lord Home was in 1448 Sheriff Deputy for Berwickshire, and was made a Lord of Parliament on 2 August 1473...
; - Lord Hailes;
- Lord Gray;
- The troops were largely from East LothianEast LothianEast Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
, the MerseBerwickshireBerwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
, GallowayGallowayGalloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...
, and the border countiesScottish BordersThe Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
.
- Alexander Home, 1st Lord Home