Battlefields›Battle of Circinn
Early Medieval

Battle of Circinn

839
Perthshire, Scotland
Also known as: Battle of Strathearn 839
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Perthshire, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Picts and Scots
VS
Victor
Vikings (Great Heathen Army)
Outcome
Catastrophic Pictish defeat; Pictish king Eogán mac Óengusa killed; Dál Riatan king Áed mac Boanta killed
The Battle

History & Significance

One of the most devastating Viking victories in Scotland. Both the Pictish king and the Dál Riatan king were killed along with vast numbers of their nobility. The vacuum created by this catastrophe allowed Kenneth MacAlpin to seize power and create the Kingdom of Alba. The destruction of the Pictish and Dál Riatan leadership is the proximate cause of the end of Pictish culture.

Casualties & Losses

Both kingdoms' kings killed; nobility decimated

Forces Involved

Vikings (Great Heathen Army): c. 3,000-8,000. Picts & Scots: c. 2,000-5,000.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Circinn

East Cult,two standing stones and cup-marked stone W of
Scheduled monument · Bronze Age · ~2.6 miles
Cairn Muir, cairn 190m NW of Cairnmuir
Scheduled monument · ~2.7 miles
Mains of Fordie, cairn 450m W of
Scheduled monument · ~2.9 miles
Mains of Fordie, souterrain 150m NW of
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~2.9 miles
Culthill, souterrains 100m ESE of
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~3.1 miles
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Battle of Aylesford
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Jutish Revolt — Battle at Aegelesthrep (Aylesford approach)
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Anglian Assault on Roman York (c.450-500 AD)
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