⚔ Battlefields of Britain

Battle of Dunsinane 1054

Battle of Dunsinane: DunsinaneHill From BlackHill 12APR03
Image: WikiWriter at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Marker: recorded battle location (no official boundary).

Key facts

Date (year)1054Wikidata P585 point in time
Century11th centuryderived
PeriodEarly medieval, Anglo-Saxon & Vikingderived
CountryScotlandderived

About the battle

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 campaign launched by Siward in support of Malcolm's claim to the Scottish throne, which Macbeth had gained after killing Malcolm's father, Duncan I of Scotland, at the Battle of Pitgaveny in 1040. Ending in victory for Siward and Malcolm, the battle was fought in Perthshire, traditionally on Dunsinane Hill.

Following their victory Siward returned home, leaving Malcolm in control of lands from where he was able to further challenge Macbeth. Macbeth would later be killed during the battle of Lumphanan in 1057 while fighting against Malcolm. While Macbeth's stepson Lulach was initially made king, he would also fall in battle against Malcolm and in 1058 Malcolm was crowned Malcolm III of Scotland.

Visiting the battlefield

Location

  • Recorded location (Wikidata; may be approximate): 56.4703, -3.2778

Battlefields are often on private farmland: please keep to public rights of way and respect landowners.

Directions (Google Maps) OpenStreetMap

Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Dunsinane (revision 1370336974), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations removed. No text added.

Battle location from Wikidata (CC0).

Nearby battlefields

Browse more: battles in Scotland · Early medieval, Anglo-Saxon & Viking · 11th century battles

Further reading