Battle of Two Rivers
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Two Rivers was fought between the Picts
and Northumbria
ns in the year 671
. The exact battle site is unknown. It marked the end of the Pictish rebellion early in the reign of Ecgfrith
, with a decisive victory to the Northumbrians. Attestation of the battle is limited to the account in Stephen of Ripon's Vita Sancti Wilfrithi
.
ns gradually extended their territory to the north. The Annals of Tigernach record a siege of "Etain" in 638, which has been interpreted as Northumbria's conquest of Din Eidyn (Edinburgh
) during the reign of Oswald
, marking the annexation of Gododdin
territories to the south of the River Forth
.
To the north of the Forth, the Pictish nations consisted at this time of the kingdom of Fortriu
to the north of the Mounth
, and a "Southern Pictish Zone", to the south, stretching as far as the Forth. Evidence from the eighth century Anglo-Saxon historian, Bede
points to the Picts also being subjugated by the Northumbrians during Oswald's reign, and that this subjugation continued into the reign of his successor, Oswiu
.
Ecgfrith
succeeded Oswiu as king of Northumbria in 670. Ecgfrith's kingdom was said to have been 'weak' on his ascent to the throne. In 671, word reached Ecgfrith that the Picts, under the command of the Verturian
king, Drest mac Donuel
, were preparing to rebel and overthrow the Northumbrian hegemony.
The record and description of the battle is limited entirely to Stephen of Ripon's account in his Vita Sancti Wilfrithi
. According to this account, Ecgfrith became aware of the Picts plans to overthrow the Northumbrian suzerainty and he hastily assembled a invasion force of horsemen. He headed north, aided by his subking Beornhæth
, who historian James Fraser suggests may have ruled the southern Pictish kingdom of Niuduera, identified as being located in present day Fife
.
The battle location is not recorded, but Fraser tentatively suggests that the battle may have occurred in the vicinity of Moncreiffe Island
, near Perth
.
As recorded in Vita Sancti Wilfrithi, Ecgfrith's cavalry was ambushed by a concealed and much larger Pictish army. Nevertheless, the Northumbrians prevailed, with Pictish casualties being of sufficient number to 'fill two rivers', allowing the Northumbrian cavalry to pursue Pictish survivors without getting their feet wet.
As a work of hagiography, Vita Sancti Wilfrithi is not an ideal historical source and it has been suggested that its partisan treatment of Northumbrian history inspired Bede
's Historia Ecclesiastica
. Various details of Stephen's account of the battle are likely to have been exaggerated, overstating the extent of Ecgfrith's victory.
of Ulster
and Tigernach
record of a 'Drost' being expelled from kingship in 671. It is generally presumed that this was the Pictish king, Drest, and that he was deposed and replaced by Bridei mac Bili
as a direct result of the failure of the Pictish rebellion.
Bridei was later to defeat and kill Ecgfrith in the Battle of Dun Nechtain in 685
.
Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
and Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
ns in the year 671
671
Year 671 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 671 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Perctarit returns from exile to become...
. The exact battle site is unknown. It marked the end of the Pictish rebellion early in the reign of Ecgfrith
Ecgfrith of Northumbria
King Ecgfrith was the King of Northumbria from 670 until his death. He ruled over Northumbria when it was at the height of its power, but his reign ended with a disastrous defeat in which he lost his life.-Early life:...
, with a decisive victory to the Northumbrians. Attestation of the battle is limited to the account in Stephen of Ripon's Vita Sancti Wilfrithi
Vita Sancti Wilfrithi
The Vita Sancti Wilfrithi or Life of St Wilfrid is an early 8th-century hagiographic text recounting the life of the Northumbrian bishop, Wilfrid. Although a hagiography, it has few miracles, while its main concerns are with the politics of the Northumbrian church and the history of the...
.
Background
During the seventh century, the NorthumbriaNorthumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
ns gradually extended their territory to the north. The Annals of Tigernach record a siege of "Etain" in 638, which has been interpreted as Northumbria's conquest of Din Eidyn (Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
) during the reign of Oswald
Oswald of Northumbria
Oswald was King of Northumbria from 634 until his death, and is now venerated as a Christian saint.Oswald was the son of Æthelfrith of Bernicia and came to rule after spending a period in exile; after defeating the British ruler Cadwallon ap Cadfan, Oswald brought the two Northumbrian kingdoms of...
, marking the annexation of Gododdin
Gododdin
The Gododdin were a Brittonic people of north-eastern Britain in the sub-Roman period, the area known as the Hen Ogledd or Old North...
territories to the south of the River Forth
River Forth
The River Forth , long, is the major river draining the eastern part of the central belt of Scotland.The Forth rises in Loch Ard in the Trossachs, a mountainous area some west of Stirling...
.
To the north of the Forth, the Pictish nations consisted at this time of the kingdom of Fortriu
Fortriu
Fortriu or the Kingdom of Fortriu is the name given by historians for an ancient Pictish kingdom, and often used synonymously with Pictland in general...
to the north of the Mounth
Mounth
The Mounth is the range of hills on the southern edge of Strathdee in northeast Scotland. It was usually referred to with the article, i.e. "the Mounth". The name is a corruption of the Scottish Gaelic monadh which in turn is akin to the Welsh mynydd, and may be of Pictish origin...
, and a "Southern Pictish Zone", to the south, stretching as far as the Forth. Evidence from the eighth century Anglo-Saxon historian, Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
points to the Picts also being subjugated by the Northumbrians during Oswald's reign, and that this subjugation continued into the reign of his successor, Oswiu
Oswiu of Northumbria
Oswiu , also known as Oswy or Oswig , was a King of Bernicia. His father, Æthelfrith of Bernicia, was killed in battle, fighting against Rædwald, King of the East Angles and Edwin of Deira at the River Idle in 616...
.
Ecgfrith
Ecgfrith of Northumbria
King Ecgfrith was the King of Northumbria from 670 until his death. He ruled over Northumbria when it was at the height of its power, but his reign ended with a disastrous defeat in which he lost his life.-Early life:...
succeeded Oswiu as king of Northumbria in 670. Ecgfrith's kingdom was said to have been 'weak' on his ascent to the throne. In 671, word reached Ecgfrith that the Picts, under the command of the Verturian
Fortriu
Fortriu or the Kingdom of Fortriu is the name given by historians for an ancient Pictish kingdom, and often used synonymously with Pictland in general...
king, Drest mac Donuel
Drest VI of the Picts
Drest was king of the Picts from 662 to 671.He succeeded his brother Gartnait IV on the latter's death in 662. The Pictish Chronicle king lists give him a reign of six or seven years...
, were preparing to rebel and overthrow the Northumbrian hegemony.
Account of battle
| "He [Ecgfrith] slew an enormous number of the people, filling two rivers with corpses, so that, marvellous to relate, the slayers, passing over the rivers dry foot, pursued and slew a crowd of fugitives[.]" |
| — Stephen of Ripon's account of the battle from Vita Sancti Wilfrithi. |
The record and description of the battle is limited entirely to Stephen of Ripon's account in his Vita Sancti Wilfrithi
Vita Sancti Wilfrithi
The Vita Sancti Wilfrithi or Life of St Wilfrid is an early 8th-century hagiographic text recounting the life of the Northumbrian bishop, Wilfrid. Although a hagiography, it has few miracles, while its main concerns are with the politics of the Northumbrian church and the history of the...
. According to this account, Ecgfrith became aware of the Picts plans to overthrow the Northumbrian suzerainty and he hastily assembled a invasion force of horsemen. He headed north, aided by his subking Beornhæth
Beornhæth
Beornhæth was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman in Northumbria in the reign of King Ecgfrith . He was the first of his family to come to notice....
, who historian James Fraser suggests may have ruled the southern Pictish kingdom of Niuduera, identified as being located in present day Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
.
The battle location is not recorded, but Fraser tentatively suggests that the battle may have occurred in the vicinity of Moncreiffe Island
Moncreiffe Island
Moncreiffe Island, also known as Friarton Island divides the River Tay into two channels as it flows through Perth in Scotland. It is crossed by the railway line to Dundee.Moncrieffe House was built in 1679, by the architect Sir William Bruce...
, near Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
.
As recorded in Vita Sancti Wilfrithi, Ecgfrith's cavalry was ambushed by a concealed and much larger Pictish army. Nevertheless, the Northumbrians prevailed, with Pictish casualties being of sufficient number to 'fill two rivers', allowing the Northumbrian cavalry to pursue Pictish survivors without getting their feet wet.
As a work of hagiography, Vita Sancti Wilfrithi is not an ideal historical source and it has been suggested that its partisan treatment of Northumbrian history inspired Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
's Historia Ecclesiastica
Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
The Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum is a work in Latin by Bede on the history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the conflict between Roman and Celtic Christianity.It is considered to be one of the most important original references on...
. Various details of Stephen's account of the battle are likely to have been exaggerated, overstating the extent of Ecgfrith's victory.
Aftermath
Stephen records that, following the battle, the Picts were reduced to slavery and subject to the yoke of captivity for the next 14 years. The Irish annalsIrish annals
A number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century.Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days...
of Ulster
Annals of Ulster
The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
and Tigernach
Annals of Tigernach
The Annals of Tigernach is a chronicle probably originating in Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The language is a mixture of Latin and Old and Middle Irish....
record of a 'Drost' being expelled from kingship in 671. It is generally presumed that this was the Pictish king, Drest, and that he was deposed and replaced by Bridei mac Bili
Bridei III of the Picts
King Bridei III was king of Fortriu and overking of the Picts between 671 and his death in 693....
as a direct result of the failure of the Pictish rebellion.
Bridei was later to defeat and kill Ecgfrith in the Battle of Dun Nechtain in 685
685
Year 685 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 685 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* September – Justinian II...
.