Battle of Lumphanan: Macbethian Era Scotland, 1040-1057

On 10 August 1057, Macbeth, King of Scots, then known as the King of Alba, was killed at the Battle of Lumphanan, in what is today Deeside, Mar, Scotland, around 27 miles west of Aberdeen. Macbeth was defeated in battle by the combined Anglo-Danish army of Prince Malcolm Canmore, the son of King Duncan I. The Battle of Lumphanan pitted Macbeth’s armed retainers, perhaps numbering only 200-400 warriors, against the combined strength of likely over a 1000 warriors led by Prince Malcolm Canmore and Siward the Earl of Northumbria, near or at the 'Peelring' of Lumphanan.

Artist's Depiction of Macbeth at Dunsinane Hill 1054

Battle of Lumphanan, August 1057

An odd looking landmark, the small hill at Lumphanan is a pudgy dun and natural fortification or redoubt, which the chroniclers believed was the likeliest place where the battle was fought. Fleeing hostile forces hailing from within Scotland and abroad, Macbeth and his force withdrew to Mar, where a final stand was made. Siward's housecarls would of likely had cavalry support though they probably did not need it against Macbeth's token force. The King of Alba was either found among the dead on the battlefield of Lumphanan or died of his wounds following the battle's conclusion. King Macbeth was succeeded by his adopted son, Lulach, who reigned for less than seven months before he was dethroned and killed in 1058 by Prince Malcolm.

The Dun at Lumphanan, site of Macbeth's Final Defeat

Macbeth's first significant defeat happened when he clashed with the host of Prince Malcolm Canmore and his uncle Siward the Earl of Northumbria in 1054. A mixed Anglo-Danish host with Northumbrians and Scandinavians at the forefront, Siward led the army north over the Scottish border raiding and pillaging along the way. Their end goal was to gain the crown for Prince Malcolm. At Dunsinane Hill in July of 1054, Macbeth met this host and was bested, forcing him to withdraw north after suffering significant casualties. Though Siward had mauled Macbeth's army, he had sustained grave casualties. His eldest son and a nephew had been killed in the savage fighting at Dunsinane. Matthews & Stewart in Celtic Battle Heroes, put his losses at around 1,500 English and Danes. Despite this defeat, Macbeth held on to power as king until 1056-1057, bolstered by the support of his kinsmen as the Mórmaer of Moray.

King Macbeth, 1005-1057

Only a very small amount of detail is known about the real King Macbeth, who remains one of the more infamous monarchs in all of Scottish or British history. Macbeth the character was made immortal by William Shakespeare’s famous "Scottish play", the tragedy of Macbeth, first performed in the early 1600's. The character of Macbeth, borrowed little from the real life and reign of the true King Macbeth, Lord of Moray and King of Alba (Scotland), 1040-1057. Though literary scholars may debate the Stuart influences and undertones of Shakespeare's stage play, both the socio-political and military history of this period are even more fascinating and certainly under researched.

What is known of the real Macbeth is that he was born around the year 1005 to Finlay, Mórmaer (high steward) of Moray. Scholars mostly agree that the "ruddy haired", 'son of life', Macbeth, was a grandson of Malcolm II, King of Alba, 1005-1034. Macbeth's father was murdered by his own nephews Máel Coluim and Gille Coemgáin around the year 1020. Macbeth gained his vengeance when he burned Coemgáin alive with fifty of his men in 1032, gaining both the title of Mormaer of Moray and the hand of Gruoch, the widow of his cousin, in marriage. Macbeth adopted their son, Lulach, who was born sometime before the year 1030. A modern family psychologist would have been fascinated by a case study of this family; Macbeth married the widow of his cousin, the man who killed his own father and who he had in turned slain, fostering the boy Lulach who became his successor.

In August of 1040, Macbeth usurped the throne from King Duncan I, who was killed by either the Norsemen, rival clans, or Macbeth himself, at Elgin, Pitvageny, Morayshire. There is no actual evidence in antiquarian sources which support Macbeth physically murdering the king, as is so iconic in the famed "Scottish play". Duncan's father, Crinan the abbot of Dunkeld, was killed five years later, likely after leading or supporting a rebellion against his son's usurper. Macbeth's reign was generally peaceful and several chronicles note that he ruled well and that the realm enjoyed bountiful harvests. King Macbeth even made a pilgrimage to Rome in 1050-1051, where he "lavished the poor with alms".

Warriors, Weapons, and Conflict in Macbethian Scotland, 1000-1057

During the Macbethian era, Scotland remained divided into warring fiefdoms and regional kingdoms, ruled by minor Scots-Gaelic kings and lords as well Dano-Norse Viking lords. The Dano-Norse ruled the outlying fiefdoms in Orkney and the Western Isles. Many of these gimcrack kingdoms were autonomous from the rule of the King’s of Alba, perpetuating a state of conflict between the varying sides. The warriors and weapons of this era reflect the mixed cultural makeup of Scotland and the Western Isles during this period. The Dano-Norse jarls and Northumbria (North England) earls warred with the Scottish lords and petty kings, who in turn warred amongst themselves. Scotsmen, Anglo-Saxons, Irishmen, Normans, and Dano-Norse-Swede Viking warriors, all would have fought and died in Scottish territory during Macbeth's lifetime. Irish mercenaries were duly employed by rulers who had the coin to hire and transport them across the Irish Sea, a traditional that was common in Scotland throughout the Middle Ages.

19th Century Shakespearean Depiction of Macbeth's Final Duel

King Malcolm II, reigned 1005-1034, inherited the crown of Alba after his father's death in battle. The Scots had fought against the Northumbrians in 1006 and again in 1018 at the Battle of Carham. Malcolm II was at war during most of his reign with the kingdoms of Orkney and Northumbria but made several alliances with the Danes and an important treaty with King Cnut of England, Denmark, Norway, and 'some Swedes', in the year 1032, establishing what became the Anglo-Scottish border. Any progress made was undone when the king died of wounds sustained while besieging Glamis castle in the year 1034. Atypical for their time, both Macbeth and his predecessor, King Duncan I, would have spent their formative years battling Norsemen from the Orkney and Western Isles in northern Scotland. Seeking territorial gains against the powerful Viking warlord, Thorfinn the Mighty, King Duncan had raised a large fleet in c.1038, which he led himself. In the north of the country, his army was led by his nephew Moddan the Mórmaer of Caithness. After Duncan's fleet was annihilated by Thorfinn's long ships in August of 1040, Duncan fled down the Moray Firth to regroup with Moddan and his Atholl clansmen.

Macbeth Leading a War Party By James Field

According to Matthews & Stewart in Celtic Battle Heroes, King Duncan wasm already too late. While awaiting the arrival of Irish mercenaries along the coast of Caithness, Moddan and his kinsmen had been ambushed and slaughtered by a Norse raiding party led by Thorkell, the foster father of Thorfinn. Moddan attempted to fight back but the Orkney Saga claims he was beheaded by a single blow from Thorkell after the Viking leapt from a burning abode. This saga is just one example of the type of warfare waged during this period, especially by the Dano-Norse, who utilized fast cruising long ships to pillage the coastal regions of Scotland and the Isles. Familial and clan influence was important to the Scots even in this early period, as lords and kings relied on loyal clansmen and family supporters for soldiers and financial support. For example, Duncan was put at a grave disadvantage by Moddan's death because he lost an important source of manpower.

The axe would of been a commonly used weapon in Macbethian-era Scotland by the Scots and their enemies. Spears, like the axe, were the favored weapons of the lightly armed foot soldier, though the heavier 'battle axe' had a fearsome reputation in the hands of experienced Dano-Norse warriors. Light cavalry was used but only sparingly until the arrival of the Normans and armored cavalry. King Duncan I used a large cavalry force in an attempted attack on Durham in Northern England sometime before the year 1039. Most of his horse borne troopers were killed in the failed attack, their heads displayed along the city walls as grim warning to other would-be invaders. 

Swords of this period would have mirrored double-edged, Dano-Norse Viking design, both functionally and aesthetically. The great Claymore would have been anachronistic during this era. Nearly all stage and film depictions of Macbeth grossly confuse the costume and armor of this period, often portraying the fighting men in 14th century armor. Plaid and clan tartans were not yet in use nor were armored horses, siege weapons, or plate armor. Simple chain mail shirts and pot helms would have been the extent of the protection offered to any warrior in Macbeth's Scotland. 

Ornamental Sword Hilt Types Drawn by Lee A. Jones

Suggested Further Reading

Macbeth: A True Story, By: Fiona Watdon, (Quercus, London 2010)

The Historical Macbeth, By: Edward J. Cowen, (The City University of New York)

Alba of the Ravens (First English Edition, London. September, 1997)

Macbeth, Celtic Battle Heroes By: John Matthews & Bob Stewart (Firebird Books, 1988) Cited.