BattlefieldsBlack Dinner — Edinburgh Castle 1440
Medieval

Black Dinner — Edinburgh Castle 1440

1440
Midlothian, Scotland
Also known as: Murder of the Douglases 1440 · Black Dinner Edinburgh
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Midlothian, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Douglas clan (young 6th Earl)
Forces
Douglas retinue c.30–100.
VS
Victor
Scottish regency (William Crichton and Livingston)
Forces
Regency forces c.50–200
Outcome
The young 6th Earl of Douglas and his brother were murdered at a dinner with the child-king James II; Douglas power temporarily broken; but revenge ultimately fuelled further conflict
The Battle

History & Significance

The Black Dinner was one of the most notorious political murders in Scottish history and a key episode in the long struggle between the crown and the Black Douglas clan. The earls were lured to Edinburgh Castle under promise of hospitality and murdered before the young King James II's eyes. The event is thought to have inspired the Red Wedding episode in Game of Thrones. It temporarily weakened the Douglases but ultimately contributed to the escalation of their conflict with the crown that ended at Arkinholm in 1455.

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