Battle of Sauchieburn

Who Fought

History & Significance

The Battle of Sauchieburn was fought on 11 June 1488, at the side of Sauchie Burn, a stream about two miles (3 km) south of Stirling, Scotland. The battle was fought between the followers of King James III of Scotland and a large group of rebellious Scottish nobles including the future Alexander Home, 2nd Lord Home, who were nominally led by the king's 15-year-old son, James, Duke of Rothesay. James III was killed in the battle, and his son succeeded him as James IV.

James III had faced rebellion for months, with a complicated series of events leading to Sauchieburn. The rebels having made James, Duke of Rothesay their figurehead earlier in the year, James III became determined to get hold of his son and settle the matter. However he broke his written word that he would negotiate first, instead travelling south to Edinburgh from his stronghold in the north. This breaking of his word apparently caused some of his strong supporters to desert him, such as Huntly, Erroll, Marischal, and Glamis; they adopted a neutral stance on the issues. In May, James crossed the river to use Blackness as a base, with the Duke of Rothesay at Linlithgow. However, attempts to reach the prince at Linlithgow were defeated in a small skirmish, and James was forced back to Blackness, from where he fled, leaving behind those he had given as hostages to the rebels. By 16 May he was back in Edinburgh, and began spreading money around to raise supporters, including to his half uncle, John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl. At this point the rebels were geographically split, some at Stirling, some at Linlithgow. James again took the initiative with a sudden move over to Fife with his supporters and their men, advancing on Stirling, where on 10 June he took the rebels by surprise, driving them southwards. This left James with the town of Stirling, perhaps not the castle, from where he advanced on 11 June to meet the combined forces of the rebels driven from Stirling and those who had come from Linlithgow in support. To aid him in battle, James III carried with him the sword of Robert the Bruce. Dr John Ireland heard the King's confession. His army was arrayed by the advocate John Ross of Montgrenan and battle began.

The battle went badly for the Royalists. Persistent legends, based on the highly coloured and unreliable accounts of sixteenth-century chroniclers such as Adam Abell, Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie, John Lesley, and George Buchanan, claim that James III was assassinated at Milltown, near Bannockburn, soon after the battle. There is no contemporary evidence to support this account, nor the allegation that he fled the battle, nor the tale that his assassin impersonated a priest in order to approach James.

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Sauchieburn lies on Clackmannan Group, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is sedimentary rock cycles, clackmannan group type.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Sauchieburn

Tappoch Broch

Scheduled monument · ~2.8 mi

Tappoch Broch is a Iron Age circular stone tower situated near Stirling in Stirlingshire, Scotland. The monument dates to the later Iron Age, likely constructed between the 1st century BCE and 1st century CE, representing the final phase of broch building in Scotland. The structure exhibits the c…

Stirling, town wall & bastion & Port Street Bastion at 44 Bastion Wynd

Scheduled monument · ~2.9 mi

Stirling town wall and bastion is a defensive structure built to protect the royal burgh of Stirling on its elevated site above the River Forth. The fortification occupies the rising ground at 44 Bastion Wynd, where the bedrock of Permian dolerite and tholeiitic basalt provides a naturally strong…

Lairich Rig / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

King's Park,cup & ring mark

Scheduled monument · ~3 mi

King's Park cup and ring mark is a prehistoric rock carving located in Stirlingshire, Scotland. The motif consists of a cup—a small circular depression—surrounded by concentric rings pecked into the living rock surface. Such carvings are characteristic of later Neolithic and Bronze Age societies…

Gillies Hill,fort

Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~3.1 mi

Gillies Hill is an Iron Age fort situated in Stirlingshire, Scotland. The fortification commands views across the surrounding landscape from its position on bedrock formed by Permian-age igneous intrusion, comprising dolerite and tholeiitic basalt. This volcanic geology provides the natural found…

Peigimccann / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Abbey Craig,fort

Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~4.2 mi

Abbey Craig fort is an Iron Age hillfort situated on a prominent rocky outcrop near Stirling in Perthshire, Scotland. The fort exploits the natural defensive qualities of its location, built upon bedrock composed of Permian-age igneous intrusion dominated by dolerite and tholeiitic basalt, which…

Richard Webb / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Airthrey Castle,standing stone 280m SE of

Scheduled monument · Bronze Age · ~4.8 mi

Airthrey Castle is a Bronze Age standing stone located in Perthshire, Scotland, approximately 280 metres south-east of Airthrey Castle itself. The monument stands upon bedrock of the Arbuttnott-Garvock Group, a geological formation of Pragian age comprising sandstone interspersed with conglomerat…

Frank Garvock / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Other Tudor Battles

Battles near Battle of Sauchieburn

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• Battle of Sauchieburn · Wikidata
• Battle_of_Sauchieburn · Wikipedia
• Battle of Sauchieburn · Historic Environment Scotland
• Sauchieburn · Canmore