Battle of the Brig of Dee
Who Fought
History & Significance
The Battle of the Brig of Dee took place on 18–19 June 1639 at the Bridge of Dee in Scotland, and was the only serious military action of the First Bishops' War. It featured a Royalist force under James Gordon, 2nd Viscount Aboyne, opposed by Covenanters led by James Graham, 5th Earl of Montrose, and resulted in a Covenanter victory.
The war formed part of a series of conflicts known collectively as the 1638 to 1651 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, so-called because they also took place in England and Ireland. These include the Irish Confederate Wars, the First English Civil War, Second English Civil War, the Anglo-Scottish War of 1650-1652, and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.
The Protestant Reformation created a Church of Scotland, or "kirk", Presbyterian in structure, and Calvinist in doctrine. Presbyterian churches were ruled by Elders, nominated by congregations; Episcopalian were governed by bishops, appointed by the monarch. In 1584, bishops were imposed on the kirk against considerable resistance; since they also sat in parliament and usually supported royal policies, arguments over their role were as much about politics as religion.
The vast majority of Scots, whether Covenanter or Royalist, believed that a "well-ordered" monarchy was divinely mandated; they disagreed on what "well-ordered" meant, and who held ultimate authority in clerical affairs. Royalists generally emphasised the role of the monarch more than Covenanters, but there were many factors, including nationalist allegiance to the kirk, and individual motives were very complex. This is reflected by the fact that Montrose, Covenanter commander, fought for the Covenant in 1639 and 1640, then became a Royalist, and switching sides was common throughout the period.
When James VI and I succeeded as king of England in 1603, he viewed a unified Church of Scotland and England as the first step in creating a centralised, Unionist state. However, the two churches were very different in doctrine; even Scottish bishops violently opposed many Church of England practices. Widespread hostility to reforms imposed on the kirk by Charles I led to the National Covenant on 28 February 1638. Its signatories vowed to oppose any changes, and included Argyll and six other members of the Scottish Privy Council; in December, bishops were expelled from the kirk.
Charles decided to re-assert his authority by force, but preferred to rely on his own financial resources, rather than recalling parliament. An English army of 20,000 would advance on Edinburgh from the south, while an amphibious force of 5,000 under the Marquis of Hamilton were to land in Aberdeen, where it would link up with Royalist troops led by the Marquess of Huntly. Lastly, an Irish army under Randal MacDonnell, Earl of Antrim would invade western Scotland from Carrickfergus, then join with the MacDonalds and other Royalist clans.
The ground they fought on
The site of Battle of the Brig of Dee lies on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.
- Scottish Royalists: 14
- Scottish Covenanters: 14
Frequently Asked Questions
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- Battle of the Brig of Dee · Wikidata
- Battle_of_the_Brig_of_Dee · Wikipedia