Helle-Biblio

This historical guide retells, in graphic detail, the story of nine of the most important battles to be fought in Scotland south of the Highland Line, stretching from Aberdeen to the Firth of Clyde. The battles range from medieval period to the time of Jacobite Rebellion. They show how weapons andequipment, tactics and strategy, and the make up of the armies themselves changed over the course of almost 500 years. By concentrating on these nine battles Stuart Reid provides a concise, coherent account of Scottish military history, and he presents detailed reassessments of each battle in the light of the very latest research. His book is fascinating introduction to Scottish military history and an essential guide for readers who are keen to explore these battle sites for themselves.

Three of the battles belong to the medieval period and Scotland's fight to establish and maintain its independence from England - Wallace's victory at Stirling Bridge in 1296, Bruce's even greater victory at Bannockburn in 1314 and then, at the end of the period, the crushing defeat at Pinkie in1547. Three more battles belong to the bloody civil wars of the seventeenth century - Montrose's great victory at Kilsyth in August 1645, Cromwell's triumph at the Battle of Dunbar in 1650 and the short, bloody action at Inverkeithing that followed. Finally for the Jacobite period the trilogy covers Sherriffmuir 1715, Prestonpans 1745 and the conclusive encounter at Falkirk 1746.

By skillful use of maps, diagrams and photographs the author explains the complex, sometimes puzzling sequence of events that make these encounters so fascinating. He provides a detailed tour of each battleground as it appears to the visitor in the present day and rediscovers the lanes and by-ways tramped by soldiers hundreds of years ago.