BattlefieldsDundee garrison withdrawal from Edinburgh 1689
Jacobite Risings

Dundee garrison withdrawal from Edinburgh 1689

1689
Midlothian, Scotland
Also known as: Dundee rides from Edinburgh 1689 · Viscount Dundee departs Convention 1689
Era
Jacobite Risings
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Midlothian, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Government
Forces
Edinburgh garrison (government)
VS
Victor
Jacobites (Viscount Dundee)
Forces
c.50 cavalry (Dundee)
Outcome
Dundee escapes Edinburgh with cavalry troop; Jacobite rising formally begins
The Battle

History & Significance

John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, refused to accept the Convention of Estates after William of Orange arrived. He rode out of Edinburgh in March 1689 with a troop of horse, evading government forces, and headed north to raise the Highland clans for James VII. This departure — the first overt act of defiance — opened the 1689 rising. Government troops were unable to intercept him. Dundee was the one Jacobite commander with genuine military ability, and his departure made the first rising possible.

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