Wars of Scottish Independence

The Battle of Slioch was a minor skirmish in the First War of Scottish Independence. Although the encounter was inconclusive, the domestic enemies of... the Scottish King Robert Bruce were unable to stop him from consolidating his rule over Scotland. With his victory against the English at the Battle of Loudoun Hill, Robert Bruce's support among the Scots was rising. However, he still had many opponents in Scotland. Foremost among them was John Comyn, Earl of Buchan, whose cousin John III Comyn Bruce had killed. In July 1307, King Edward I of England died, and his less effectual son Edward II ascended the throne. This gave Bruce the opportunity to deal with his local enemies. After attacking the MacDougalls in Galloway and the MacDougalls in Lorne, he moved north-east towards Buchan's base near Inverness. Bruce's forces now greatly outnumbered those of Buchan, and his victory appeared certain. However, before reaching battle Bruce was struck ill, forcing him to retreat and rest at Slioch. The Earl of Buchan took advantage of this respite to raise an army and attempt to weaken or drive off Robert Bruce.
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The Battle of Dalrigh, also known as the Battle of Dail Righ, Battle of Dalry or Battle of Strathfillan, was fought in the summer of 1306 between the... army of King Robert I of Scotland against the Clan MacDougall of Argyll who were allies of Clan Comyn and the English. It took place at the hamlet of Dalrigh near Tyndrum in Argyll, Scotland . Bruce's army reeling westwards after defeat by the English at the Battle of Methven was intercepted and all but destroyed, Bruce himself narrowly escaping capture. The exact date cannot be established, but it took place sometime between late July and early August. By the late 13th century, the Clan MacDougall had emerged as the most powerful of the descendants of Somerled, a former king of the Hebrides. Alexander MacDougall, the head of the family, was related by marriage to King John I of Scotland and his nephew John Comyn. He attained high office when John was king, being appointed sheriff of Lorn in February 1293.
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The Battle of Inverurie, also known as the Battle of Barra, was fought in May 1308 in the north-east of Scotland. Though part of the wider Wars of... Scottish Independence it is more properly viewed as an episode in a brief but bitter civil war. The battle was a victory for the Scottish King Robert Bruce over his chief domestic enemy, John Comyn, 3rd Earl of Buchan. It was followed by the Harrying of Buchan, a violent act of destruction, at least equal to, if not greater than, some of the excesses practiced elsewhere by the English. The battlefield is currently under research to be inventoried and protected by Historic Scotland under the Scottish Historical Environment Policy of 2009. In February 1306, for reasons that are still unclear, Robert Bruce and his supporters murdered John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, also known as the Red Comyn. Comyn was a nephew of the former King John Balliol and had been a leading player in the wars against the English. His death automatically meant that his extensive network of family and associates would regard Bruce as an enemy, his seizure of the Scottish crown notwithstanding.
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The Battle of the Pass of Brander in Scotland forms a small part of the wider struggle known as the Wars of Scottish Independence, and a large part... of the civil war between the Bruce and Balliol factions, a parallel and overlapping conflict. It was a victory for King Robert Bruce over the MacDougalls of Argyll, kinsmen of John Comyn, also known as the Red Comyn, who had been murdered by Bruce and his adherents at Dumfries in 1306. The sources do not allow us to determine the date of the battle with any degree of precision: various dates between 1308 and 1309 have been suggested, though the late summer of 1308 would seem to be the most likely. The slaying of John Comyn was a decisive act in Scottish political history. Soon after this Bruce had been crowned with the full support of the Scottish Church, which effectively set aside a papal interdict, although he still faced some formidable obstacles. The balance of power in Scotland shifted firmly in favour of the English.
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