Battle of Dun Nechtain

Who Fought

History & Significance

The Battle of Dun Nechtain or Battle of Nechtansmere (Old Irish: Cath Dúin Nechtáin; Old Welsh: Gueith Linn Garan) was fought between the Picts, led by King Bridei Mac Bili, and the Northumbrians, led by King Ecgfrith, on 20 May 685.

The Northumbrian hegemony over northern Britain, won by Ecgfrith's predecessors, had begun to disintegrate. Several of Northumbria's subject nations had rebelled in recent years, leading to a number of large-scale battles against the Picts, Mercians and Irish, with varied success. After sieges of neighbouring territories carried out by the Picts, Ecgfrith led his forces against them, despite advice to the contrary, in an effort to reassert his suzerainty over the Pictish nations.

A feigned retreat by the Picts drew the Northumbrians into an ambush at Dun Nechtain near the lake of Linn Garan. The battle site has long been thought to have been near the present-day village of Dunnichen in Angus. Recent research, however, has suggested a more northerly location near Dunachton, on the shores of Loch Insh in Badenoch and Strathspey.

The battle ended with a decisive Pictish victory which severely weakened Northumbria's power in northern Britain. Ecgfrith was killed in battle, along with the greater part of his army. The Pictish victory marked their independence from Northumbria, who never regained their dominance in the north.

During the seventh century AD, the Northumbrians gradually extended their territory to the north. The Annals of Tigernach record a siege of "Etain" in 638, which has been interpreted as Northumbria's conquest of Eidyn (Edinburgh) during the reign of Oswald, marking the annexation of Gododdin territories to the south of the River Forth.

To the north of the Forth, the Pictish nations consisted at this time of the Kingdom of Fortriu to the north of the Mounth, and a "Southern Pictish Zone" between there and the Forth. Evidence from the eighth century Anglo-Saxon historian Bede points to the Picts also being subjugated by the Northumbrians during Oswald's reign, and suggests that this subjugation continued into the reign of his successor, Oswiu.

Ecgfrith succeeded Oswiu as king of Northumbria in 670. Soon after, the Picts rose in rebellion against Northumbrian subjugation at the Battle of Two Rivers, recorded in the 8th century by Stephen of Ripon, hagiographer of Wilfrid. Ecgfrith was aided by a sub-king, Beornhæth, who may have been a leader of the Southern Picts, and the rebellion ended in disaster for the Northern Picts of Fortriu. Their king, Drest mac Donuel, was deposed and was replaced by Bridei mac Bili.

By 679, the Northumbrian hegemony seems to have started to fall apart. The Irish annals record a Mercian victory over Ecgfrith at which Ecgfrith's brother, Ælfwine of Deira, was killed. Sieges were recorded at Dunnottar, in the northernmost region of the "Southern Pictish Zone" near Stonehaven in 680, and at Dundurn in Strathearn in 682. The antagonists in these sieges are not recorded, but the most reasonable interpretation is thought to be that Bridei's forces were the assailants.

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Dun Nechtain lies on Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, bedrock that formed in the Pragian. The rock here is sandstone with subordinate conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Dun Nechtain

Westerton,standing stone 120m W of

Scheduled monument · Bronze Age · ~2.5 mi

Westerton is a Bronze Age standing stone located in Angus, Scotland. The monument stands approximately 120 metres west of the settlement from which it takes its name. Like many stones of its type and period, it would have served ritual, territorial or commemorative functions within its prehistori…

Myreside,henge,enclosure and barrows NW of

Scheduled monument · Bronze Age · ~2.8 mi

Myreside is a Bronze Age ceremonial complex situated in Angus, Scotland. The site comprises a henge monument, an associated enclosure, and several barrows arranged across landscape underlain by Arbuthnott-Garvock Group sandstone, a robust geological foundation laid down during the Pragian period.…

Turin Hill, forts and cup-and-ring marked rock

Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~2.9 mi

Turin Hill is an Iron Age fortified settlement in Angus, Scotland, comprising two forts positioned on sandstone bedrock of the Arbuthnott-Garvock Group. The site commands views across the surrounding landscape, typical of defensive settlements from the first millennium BC. The fortifications woul…

Blackgate Smithy,stone circle

Scheduled monument · Bronze Age · ~2.9 mi

Blackgate Smithy is a Bronze Age stone circle situated in Angus, Scotland. The monument comprises a ring of standing stones whose origins extend back to the prehistoric metal-working period, when such circles held significant ceremonial and possibly astronomical importance for the communities tha…

Kirkbuddo Wood,Roman camp

Scheduled monument · Roman · ~3.2 mi

Kirkbuddo Wood Roman camp is a Roman military enclosure located in Angus, Scotland. The camp occupies ground underlain by Arbuthnott-Garvock Group sandstone, a formation dating to the Pragian geological period, interspersed with conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone. This solid bedrock foundation…

Meathie church and graveyard, 330m S of Mains of Easter Meathie

Scheduled monument · ~3.3 mi

Meathie church and graveyard is a parish church site located in Angus, south of the Mains of Easter Meathie. The monument occupies land underlain by the Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, a suite of sedimentary rocks formed during the Pragian period, comprising sandstone with subsidiary conglomerate, silt…

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• Battle of Dun Nechtain · Wikidata
• Battle_of_Dun_Nechtain · Wikipedia