One of the bloodiest battles in Scottish history and a devastating defeat for Clan Donald. The battle of 'Red' Harlaw, fought on 24 July 1411 is one of the most famous fought on Scottish soil, and infamous for the ferocity and duration of the fighting. However, it still remains something of an enigma. Donald Lord of the Isles, spurred on by a dispute over the Earldom of Ross with the Scottish regent, Robert Duke of Albany, led a Highland host to burn Inverness and descend upon Aberdeen. At Inverurie the Highlanders clashed with the smaller Lowlander force of Alexander Earl of Mar, son of the infamous 'Wolf of Badenoch'. The Highland clansmen flung themselves against the Lowland spears, their fearsome long swords and sharp axes doing fearful execution. Wave upon wave of the mighty highland force charged forth, only to meet their death at the hands of the more efficient Lowland force, fighting against the odds. Casualties on both sides were heavy as the carnage continued throughout the day. At dusk, the Lord of the Isles withdrew, leaving the blood-soaked field to Mar's hard-won victory and almost 1,000 of his Highland soldiers dead.
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About the Author
John Sadler is a lawyer in a private practice. He is married with two daughters and lives in Northumberland. His other books include Scottish Battles and Border Fury: The Three Hundred Years War 1296-1503. His next book Clan Cameron: A History 1164-2005 will also be published by Tempus.
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4.3 out of 5 stars
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clan Donald's Greatest Defeat, Harlaw 1411
25 Nov 2005
By Spacy Bickerson
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This, like all of John Sadler's books, is absouletely first rate!
The battle of 'Red Harlaw', fought on 24 July 1411, is one of the most famous fought on Scottish soil, and infamous for the ferocity and duration of the fighting. However, despite its notoriety, the battle itself remains something of an enigma.
Donald, Lord of the Isles, spurred on by a dispute over the earldom of Ross with the Scottish recent, Robert, Duke of Albany, lead a Highland host to burn Inverness and descend upon Aberdeen. At Inverturie the Highlanders clashed with the smaller Lowland force of Alexander, Earl of Mar, son of the infamous 'Wolf of Badenoch'. The Highland clansmen flung themselves against the Lowland spear, their fearsom longswords and sharp axes doing fearful execution. Wave upon wave of the mighty Highland force charged forth, only to meet their death at the hands of the more efficient Lownad force, fighting aginst the odds. Casualties on both sides were heavy as the carnage continued throughout the day. At dusk, the Lord of the Isles withdrew, leaving the blood-soaked field to Mar's hard-won victory and almost 1,000 of his Highland soldiers dead.
More than just a battle book, John Sadler devotes a chapter to each of the protagonists and explains in depth the differences in fighting styles of the Highland and Lowland hosts. This is the fourth of Mr. Sadler's books that I have added to my collection and I highly recommend all of them to any serious student of Scottish History.
The battle of 'Red Harlaw', fought on 24 July 1411, is one of the most famous fought on Scottish soil, and infamous for the ferocity and duration of the fighting. However, despite its notoriety, the battle itself remains something of an enigma.
Donald, Lord of the Isles, spurred on by a dispute over the earldom of Ross with the Scottish recent, Robert, Duke of Albany, lead a Highland host to burn Inverness and descend upon Aberdeen. At Inverturie the Highlanders clashed with the smaller Lowland force of Alexander, Earl of Mar, son of the infamous 'Wolf of Badenoch'. The Highland clansmen flung themselves against the Lowland spear, their fearsom longswords and sharp axes doing fearful execution. Wave upon wave of the mighty Highland force charged forth, only to meet their death at the hands of the more efficient Lownad force, fighting aginst the odds. Casualties on both sides were heavy as the carnage continued throughout the day. At dusk, the Lord of the Isles withdrew, leaving the blood-soaked field to Mar's hard-won victory and almost 1,000 of his Highland soldiers dead.
More than just a battle book, John Sadler devotes a chapter to each of the protagonists and explains in depth the differences in fighting styles of the Highland and Lowland hosts. This is the fourth of Mr. Sadler's books that I have added to my collection and I highly recommend all of them to any serious student of Scottish History.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
From Stewarts to MacDonalds, This is the battle of Harlaw 101
18 Jan 2006
By Shawn Marchinek
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The battle of Harlaw 1411 is seen as a last hurrahh for the lord of the isles. It was a showdown between the Gaelic Highlander and the Norman Lowlanders. An estimated 6000 of Donald, Lord of the Isles' Highlanders faced 4000 of the Earl of Mar's Lowland soldiers. Beginning as a dispute over the Earldom of Ross, it became more of a Lowland King (Actually the Regent, Duke of Albany) and government asserting itself over the ever independent Lord of the Isles, both seeking power and land. Depending on who tells the tell both sides won and both lost. Donald's army suffered more casualties as would be expected when lightly armed highlanders and clansmen face armored knights and soldiers. In the end the Donald's son received the Earldom and the Albany Stewarts were deposed of power.
John Sadler's book is amazing. With chapter, he lays out the whole background. From the Stewart dynasty beginnings and the basics of the Scottish government, to the Lord of the Isles and their origins. Then the added explanation of the armor and tactics of battle of the day. Then he lays out the dispute leading to the conflict, the battle and the final results. He then plays out the downfall of the Lordship of the Isles and the Albany Stewarts. All this with a summary of the battle field as it is today, almost 600 years later. A great book if you are new to Scottish history and fact filled no nonsense for the old pro. A wonderful read.
John Sadler's book is amazing. With chapter, he lays out the whole background. From the Stewart dynasty beginnings and the basics of the Scottish government, to the Lord of the Isles and their origins. Then the added explanation of the armor and tactics of battle of the day. Then he lays out the dispute leading to the conflict, the battle and the final results. He then plays out the downfall of the Lordship of the Isles and the Albany Stewarts. All this with a summary of the battle field as it is today, almost 600 years later. A great book if you are new to Scottish history and fact filled no nonsense for the old pro. A wonderful read.
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's an OK book
4 April 2013
By Andrew Leslie
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
There are a couple things that irked me about this book. Other than those few things, I found it just fine. The first thing that bothered me was Sadler mistook Andrew Leslie for Alexander Leslie. Andrew Leslie was the man who lost 6 sons at Harlaw, not Alexander. Secondly, Sadler relates a highland/lowland battle to a battle between Gael and Saxon. There is absolutely nothing Saxon about the lowland families of Scotland. They may speak a Scots but they are most certainly not Saxon. Many lowland families have Gaelic roots and that can be seen in their surnames and the placenames around them. Even the notion of lowland vs highland doesn't sit well with me. At the time Gaelic would have been familiar to some of the families fighting on the "lowland" side. This was not a battle of culture it was a battle of conquest and acquisition lead by MacDonald and the people of north eastern Scotland didn't want to live under a different ruler who already had acquired Ross.
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