Siege of Dumbarton 870
Marker: recorded battle location (no official boundary).
Key facts
| Date (year) | 870 | Wikidata P585 point in time |
|---|---|---|
| Century | 9th century | derived |
| Period | Early medieval, Anglo-Saxon & Viking | derived |
| Country | Scotland | derived |
| War / conflict | Scandinavian Scotland | Wikidata |
About the battle
The siege of Dumbarton was a successful four-month siege of the Brittonic fortress at Dumbarton Rock in 870, initiated by the Viking leaders Amlaíb, King of Dublin, and Ímar. Dumbarton was capital of the Kingdom of Alt Clut, the only surviving Brittonic kingdom outside of Wales. It represented a valuable target for the Viking invaders, who were likely motivated by strategic considerations, as well as loot. The attackers may have wished to remove Alt Clut as a maritime power, and the location and defensiveness of Dumbarton itself was of major value.
The siege lasted four-months, a length of time unprecedented in the history of Viking warfare in the British Isles, and ended when the defenders ran out of water. After the siege numerous prisoners were taken and sold into slavery in Dublin. Following this defeat, the power centre of Alt Clut moved to the vicinity of Govan, and it became known as the Kingdom of Strathclyde. The loss of Dumbarton caused the kingdom to increasingly fall under the influence of the Scottish Kingdom of Alba.
Visiting the battlefield
Location
- Recorded location (Wikidata; may be approximate): 55.9360, -4.5620
Battlefields are often on private farmland: please keep to public rights of way and respect landowners.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Siege of Dumbarton (revision 1373365961), 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
- Battle of Alclud Ford 580 · 0 km
- Battle of Renfrew 1164 · 13 km
- Battle of Glen Fruin 1603 · 19 km
- Battle of Glasgow 1544 · 22 km
- Battle of Glasgow 1560 · 22 km
- Battle of Langside 1568 · 22 km
Other battles of the Scandinavian Scotland
- Battle of Dollar 875
All battles of the Scandinavian Scotland →
Browse more: battles in Scotland · Early medieval, Anglo-Saxon & Viking · 9th century battles
Further reading
- Siege of Dumbarton on Battlefields of the World (the battle in world context, with others of its war worldwide)
- Wikipedia: Siege of Dumbarton
- Wikidata Q23018893