The Battle of Lumphanan was fought on 15 August 1057, between

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

, King of Scots, and the future

King Malcolm III Malcolm III ( mga, Máel Coluim mac Donnchada, label= Medieval Gaelic; gd, Maol Chaluim mac Dhonnchaidh; died 13 November 1093) was King of Scotland from 1058 to 1093. He was later nicknamed "Canmore" ("ceann mòr", Gaelic, literally "big head ...

. Macbeth would die from wounds sustained in the battle, which came after his defeat at the

battle of Dunsinane The Battle of Dunsinane, also known as the Battle of the Seven Sleepers, was fought between the forces of Macbeth, King of Scotland and forces led by Siward, Earl of Northumbria and Malcolm Canmore on 27 July 1054. The battle was part of a campai ...

in 1054. According to tradition, the battle took place at Lumphanan in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area inclu ...

. Macbeth's Stone, a large boulder at the site, is said to mark the spot where Macbeth was mortally wounded. Following the battle Lulach, Macbeth's stepson was crowned King, before being killed by Malcolm who then took the throne.

Background

Since the death of his father,

King Duncan King Duncan is a fictional character in Shakespeare's ''Macbeth.'' He is the father of two youthful sons ( Malcolm and Donalbain), and the victim of a well-plotted regicide in a power grab by his trusted captain Macbeth. The origin of the c ...

, in battle with Macbeth, Malcolm had been sheltered by Earl Siward of Northumbria, his uncle. It was with Siward's backing that Malcolm first attacked Macbeth leading to the

in 1054, where Malcolm failed to win the crown, but had his own lands restored to him. Some sources say it was

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. Edward was the son of Æt ...

, King of England, who ordered Siward to launch this invasion of Scotland.

The battle

After retreating North, Macbeth would again face Malcolm in battle at Lumphanan, in modern day Aberdeenshire. The battle itself appears to have been a comparatively minor affair, except for Macbeth being mortally wounded and later dying. Sources describe the battle as taking place "in a wood". Macbeth's Stone, a large boulder at the site, is traditionally held to mark the location where Macbeth was wounded.

Aftermath

Following the death of Macbeth, his stepson Lulach was initially crowned king. 18 weeks later, in 1058 Malcolm killed him by 'treachery' at Essie, near

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), a ...

. Upon assuming the throne, Malcolm, with the help of his English queen,

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...

, began the long task of removing

Gaelic culture The Gaels ( ; ga, Na Gaeil ; gd, Na Gàidheil ; gv, Ny Gaeil ) are an ethnolinguistic group native to Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man in the British Isles. They are associated with the Goidelic languages, Gaelic languages: a branch o ...

from mainstream Scotland.

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=March 2017 11th century in Scotland Lumphanan 1057 Lumphanan Lumphanan 1057 in Scotland History of Aberdeenshire