The Battle of Slioch was a minor skirmish in the

First War of Scottish Independence The First War of Scottish Independence was the first of a series of wars between English and Scottish forces. It lasted from the English invasion of Scotland in 1296 until the ''de jure'' restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty o ...

. Although the encounter was inconclusive, the domestic enemies of the Scottish King

Robert Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventuall ...

were unable to stop him from consolidating his rule over Scotland.

Background

With his victory against the English at the

Battle of Loudoun Hill The Battle of Loudoun Hill was fought on 10 May 1307, between a Scots force led by King Robert the Bruce and the English commanded by Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke. It took place beneath Loudoun Hill, in Ayrshire, and ended in a victo ...

, Robert Bruce's support among the Scots was rising. However, he still had many opponents in Scotland. Foremost among them was

John Comyn, Earl of Buchan John Comyn, 3rd Earl of Buchan (circa 1260 – 1308) was a chief opponent of Robert the Bruce in the civil war that paralleled the War of Scottish Independence. He should not be confused with the better known John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch ...

, whose cousin

John III Comyn John Comyn III of Badenoch, nicknamed the Red (c. 1274 – 10 February 1306), was a leading Scottish baron and magnate who played an important role in the First War of Scottish Independence. He served as Guardian of Scotland after the forced ...

Bruce had killed. In July 1307,

King Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

died, and his less effectual son

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...

ascended the throne. This gave Bruce the opportunity to deal with his local enemies. After attacking the MacDoualls in

Galloway Galloway ( ; sco, Gallowa; la, Gallovidia) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway. A native or i ...

and the MacDougalls in Lorne, he moved north-east towards Buchan's base near

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

. Bruce's forces now greatly outnumbered those of Buchan, and his victory appeared certain. However, before reaching battle Bruce was struck ill, forcing him to retreat and rest at

Slioch , photo = Slioch_from_Loch_Maree.jpg , photo_caption = Slioch seen from the shores of Loch Maree. , elevation_m = 981 , elevation_ref = , prominence_m = 626 , prominence_ref = , parent_peak = Sgurr Mor , listing = Munro, Marilyn , tr ...

Skirmish

The Earl of Buchan took advantage of this respite to raise an army and attempt to weaken or drive off Robert Bruce. On

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

Buchan's forces reached Slioch, where the royal forces were commanded by Bruce's brother Edward. An archery battle ensued, but neither side was able to gain an advantage, and Buchan withdrew. Several days later, Buchan returned, but again found Bruce's force too strong and was forced to withdraw. A few months later, Bruce had sufficiently recovered to resume his offensive against his Scottish opponents. He was carried along with his army as they captured some more Scottish castles, and then onwards to

Inverurie Inverurie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Inbhir Uraidh'' or ''Inbhir Uaraidh'', 'mouth of the River Ury') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland at the confluence of the rivers Ury and Don, about north-west of Aberdeen. Geography Inverurie is in the vall ...

. There the King of Scotland and John Comyn, Earl of Buchan would finally fight a

decisive battle A decisive victory is a military victory in battle that definitively resolves the objective being fought over, ending one stage of the conflict and beginning another stage. Until a decisive victory is achieved, conflict over the competing objecti ...

References

* Barbour, John. ''

The Brus ''The Brus'', also known as ''The Bruce'', is a long narrative poem, in Early Scots, of just under 14,000 octosyllabic lines composed by John Barbour which gives a historic and chivalric account of the actions of Robert the Bruce and Sir Ja ...

''
Book 9
. (Duncan, A A M ed.). Retrieved on 2007-05-27. * * * {{Authority control 1307 in Scotland