The Battle of Renfrew, 1164

The Battle of Renfrew took place in 1164 near the town of Renfrew, Scotland. It was fought between the forces of Somairle mac Gilla Brigte, a lord in the Kingdom of the Isles, and the forces of King Malcolm IV of Scotland. The exact causes of the battle are unclear, but it is thought to be related to the longstanding power struggles between the kings of the Isles and the kings of Scotland for control over the western coast of Scotland.

Somairle’s career was marked by conflict and he is first recorded in 1153 when he supported the Meic Máel Coluim, possibly his nephews or grandsons, in an attempt to seize the Scottish throne. The Chronicle of Holyrood reports that Somairle backed the Meic Máel Coluim in the coup, which ultimately failed. After the failure of the coup, Somairle turned his attention to the Isles and eventually made peace with Malcolm, King of Scotland, in 1160. It is possible that Somairle was attempting to reclaim lands that had formerly been part of a realm controlled by the Gall Gaidheil, a people of mixed Scandinavian and Gaelic ethnicity, but had been taken over by the Scottish Crown. Another possibility is that Somairle was attempting to secure a swath of territory that had recently been conquered by the Scottish Crown. There is also speculation that Somairle may have supported Máel Coluim’s claim to the throne in his later invasion of Scotland in 1164.

Somairle’s forces consisted of men from the Isles, Argyll, Kintyre, and Dublin, and numbered around 160 ships. They invaded Scotland and clashed with Malcolm’s forces at Renfrew. The battle ended in a stalemate and Somairle was forced to retreat, but it had significant consequences for the political landscape of Scotland and the Kingdom of the Isles. Somairle was eventually killed in a later battle and his death marked the beginning of a period of conflict between the two kingdoms that would continue for several decades.

The identity of the Scottish commander at the Battle of Renfrew is unknown, but Herbert, Bishop of Glasgow, Baldwin, Sheriff of Lanark/Clydesdale, and Walter fitz Alan, Steward of Scotland, are all possible candidates. The battle was a disaster for the Islesmen and Dubliners, with Somairle being slain in the encounter and his forces being routed. As a result of Somairle’s death in the battle, the Kingdom of the Isles fractured once again, with Guðrøðr Óláfsson eventually reestablishing his power in the Isles. The Battle of Renfrew may have been Malcolm IV’s greatest victory and the last major event of his reign on record.

Somairle is recorded as having wasted Glasgow, its cathedral, and the surrounding countryside, according to the Carmen de Morte Sumerledi. Despite his efforts, Somairle was unable to establish himself as a dominant power in the region and his actions had little lasting impact on the political landscape of Scotland. The Battle of Renfrew was a key moment in the ongoing struggle for power and control between the Kingdom of the Isles and Scotland, and it marked the beginning of a period of conflict that would continue for several decades.