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Battle of Embo

The Battle of Embo took place at Embo in Sutherland, Scotland in 1245.[1] It was fought by Scottish forces against Viking invaders who were defeated.

Battle of Embo

The Earl's Cross which marks the site of the battle
Date1245
Location
Embo, Sutherland, Scotland
Result Scottish victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Scotland Kingdom of Scotland Danish Realm Kingdom of Denmark
Kingdom of Norway
Commanders and leaders
William Sutherland
Richard Murray †		 unknown †

The battle

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The first account of the Battle of Embo was written by Sir Robert Gordon, 1st Baronet (1580–1656) in his A Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland.[2] Gordon states that the "Danes and Norwegians" (Vikings) invaded the northern part of the kingdom of Scotland and that William de Moravia, 1st Earl of Sutherland sent his "servant" Richard de Moravia (Richard Morray) to hold the rebels until the earl himself could arrive with a larger force to oppose them. According to Gordon, the Danes then fled being pursued by the earl and during the battle the general of the Danes was killed with many others, as well as Richard de Moravia.[3][4] The earl apparently secured the victory when he killed the Danish general with the severed leg of a horse.[5]

Aftermath

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Tomb of Richard de Moravia in Dornoch Cathedral

The Earl of Sutherland arranged for Richard de Moravia to be buried in Dornoch Cathedral and for a statue to be erected of him. A cross was also erected in memory of the battle which along with burials of "divers" killed in the battle, could still be seen in the 17th century.[3][4]

References

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  1. ^ Simpson, William Douglas (1922). "The Cathedrals of Moray and Caithness". A Forgotten Aberdeenshire Monastery. Aberdeen University Press. p. 2. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  2. ^ Fraser, William (1892). The Sutherland Book. Vol. 1. Edinburgh. p. 14. Retrieved 14 October 2020.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ a b Gordon, Robert (1813) [Printed from original manuscript 1580 - 1656]. A Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland. Edinburgh: Printed by George Ramsay and Co. for Archibald Constable and Company Edinburgh; and White, Cochrance and Co. London. pp. 32–33. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b "The Conflict of Enbo". The History of the Feuds and Conflicts among the Clans in the Northern Parts of Scotland and in the Western Isles. Glasgow: Printed by J. & J. Robertson for John Gillies, Perth. 1780 [Originally published in 1764 by Foulis press]. p. 4. Retrieved 15 October 2020. Written from a manuscript wrote in the reign of James VI of Scotland (Sir Robert Gordon's A Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland).
  5. ^ McKenzie, Steven (10 August 2013). "Fighting fairytales: Strange stories of Scottish battles". BBC News Online. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
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