Battle of Inverlochy (1431) 1431
Outline: officially registered battlefield boundary. Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 1431 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Medieval (500–1499) | derived from year |
| Location | Scotland | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| Coordinates | 56.8314, -5.0850 | Wikidata P625 |
| Official record | HES Inventory BTL34 | OGL v3 |
| Registered area | 174.1 ha | OGL v3 |
About the battle
The Battle of Inverlochy (1431) (Scottish Gaelic: Blàr Inbhir Lòchaidh) was fought after Alexander of Islay (Alasdair Ìle, Rìgh Innse Gall), Lord of the Isles and Earl of Ross, had been imprisoned by King James I. A force of Highlanders led by Donald Balloch, Alexander's cousin, defeated Royalist forces led by the Earls of Mar and Caithness at Inverlochy, near present-day Fort William. Over 1000 men were supposedly killed, among them the Earl of Caithness. Balloch then went on to ravage the country of Clan Cameron and Clan Chattan, clans who had been disloyal to Alexander. King James himself soon after led an army into the Highlands, and Highland forces left off.
Alexander was liberated by King James in October 1431, it is said as a part of a royal amnesty granted to several upon the birth of the king's son James II. but the timing for that doesn't fit. When King James finally set Alexander free, he was the only magnate who could offer security in the Highlands. Upon the king's murder in 1437, Alexander was again recognized as the Earl of Ross, and not only received control of Dingwall, but Inverness, too, which he would hold until at least 1447.
The pibroch The End of the Great Bridge is traditionally held to have been composed during the battle and Piobaireachd Domhnull Dubh, named for clan chief Donald Dubh Cameron, commemorates the battle.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Inverlochy (1431) (revision 1370443764), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Battlefield boundary: contains Historic Environment Scotland and OS data © Historic Environment Scotland and Crown Copyright and database right 2026, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See also this battlefield on Battlefields of Britain.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Inverlochy (1645) 1645 · 0 km
- Siege of Fort William 1746 · 2 km
- Battle of Corpach 1470 · 2 km
- Highbridge Skirmish 1745 · 10 km
- Battle of Drumlui 1330 · 11 km
- Battle of Bun Garbhain 1570 · 14 km
Browse more: battles in Scotland · Europe · Medieval battles