The Pictish conquest - James E Fraser

The Pictish defeat of the Northumbrians is arguably the most important turning point in Scottish history. Waged on Saturday 20 May 685, the battle of Dunnichen, fought near Forfar in northeastern Scotland, is the best-documented event in the history of the Picts. This bloody engagement pitted the Pictish army of Bridei son of Beli, king of Fortriu, against that of his cousin Ecgfrith son of Oswig, king of the Northumbrian Angles. The Pictish victory was complete, Ecgfrith was killed "along with the flower of his army" and the Pictish kingdom of Fortriu emerged from Dunnichen as the dominant kingdom in North Britain for generations to come, during which time its kings laid the foundations of the medieval kingdom of Scotland. It is for this reason that the battle of Dunnichen is mentioned in the same breath as the more famous battles of Stirling Bridge and Bannockburn, and has long been seen as a pivotal moment in the history of the Scottish nation.