Battle of Langside 13 May 1568

Mary, Queen of Scots, was forced to abdicate in 1567, in favour of her infant son, James VI, with the Earl of Moray appointed his regent. Imprisoned in Loch Leven castle, Mary managed to escape, and her campaign to recover the throne attracted the support of a cross-section of Scottish nobility, led by the Earl of Argyll. Mary obtained a ruling that Moray’s regency was treasonable, and marched towards Dumbarton castle, where she hoped to mobilize support. En route, Moray’s forces intercepted her army near Langside village on the River Clyde. The ensuing battle soon degenerated into a ‘push of pike’ between the respective massed infantrymen. The one piece of initiative was an ambush by William Kirkcaldy’s mounted musketeers. The Queen’s left flank was eventually overrun, and a disorderly rout followed.