Conquest

As the days passed and Hereward became familiar with the terrain, he realized how daring Macbeth’s route was. Some of the passes were lethal, with progress only possible in single file. There were steep and precarious climbs and descents and exposed crags and ridges where footholds were difficult to find. Nevertheless, late in the afternoon, after five days of hard marching unique in the history of Scottish warfare, they found Canmore’s main army making its way north towards the Howe of Alford along a small tributary of the River Dee near the settlement of Lumphanan.

Macbeth’s army appeared from the mountains, to the amazement of Canmore and his men.

Canmore’s force was stretched out over a wide area and it would take them some time to become organized. Macbeth ordered Hereward and Earl Duncan to lead his cavalry in a lightning attack. The tactic worked: the well-disciplined horsemen, riding in tight formations, inflicted heavy casualties on scattered groups of Lowlanders.

Hereward was at the vanguard, creating a maelstrom with his axe and driving large gaps in Canmore’s infantry. Macbeth looked on in wonder as Hereward’s exploits became more and more prominent. Men were drawn to him like a magnet as he drove deeper into the enemy ranks. His great axe, and the massive arc he could scythe with it, created a devastating killing ground around him.

Eventually, as nightfall approached, Macbeth signalled to his cavalry to disengage. Both armies made camp in the forests above Lumphanan, Macbeth to savour a victory in the initial skirmish, Canmore to lick his wounds.

Before first light the next morning, Hereward pleaded with Macbeth not to launch a frontal attack. He had barely 700 men and was outnumbered almost two to one, but Macbeth had rediscovered his conviction, was flushed with the success of his march through the mountains and euphoric from victory in the previous evening’s cavalry charge.

‘You have trained the army well; they are ready to fight, and so am I. No more talk! Today I will wear my crown again.’

By dawn, the two armies had formed up on either side of the narrow vale of Lumphanan. The scene was set for a formal pitched battle, but events took a surprising turn.

When Canmore surveyed his opponents, he saw a royal army that looked like a force to be reckoned with. Its march across the mountains had impressed him, and last night’s bloody nose had unnerved him. He was also conscious that the forces of his allies were a long way away.

Canmore strode out more than fifty yards into the no-man’s-land between the two armies. For several minutes, he paced up and down, peering at the ranks of Macbeth’s forces. He could see how uniform and steadfast they were; this was an army ready to fight. His own force was ill prepared, having expected to trap Macbeth much further north. He feared that his numerical superiority might not be enough to ensure victory.

He needed a new plan and, within minutes, had decided on a bold gamble for the throne of Scotland.

He sent an envoy galloping across the open ground with a message for Macbeth. It offered a personal duel — a fight to the death for the crown — in front of their armies.

It was an extraordinary move, but there were precedents for it in the traditions of conflict in northern Europe. Canmore’s reasoning was sound: he was young and virile; Macbeth was much older and the best of his fighting days were long gone.

The odds were heavily in Canmore’s favour.

Macbeth thought long and hard about the challenge and turned to Hereward for advice.

He was forthright. ‘Sire, let us stand our ground here. It will be many days before Duncan’s army of cut-throats arrives from the north. We’ve grasped the initiative; that’s why Canmore has issued the challenge.’

‘But I have a chance to resolve this here and now. It is my throne; I can win it back myself and prevent more bloodshed. Remember, I need to keep my army intact. King Edward has greedy eyes for Scotland and has been plotting my downfall for years. If too many Scots kill one another here at Lumphanan, who will stop Harold Godwinson’s housecarls when Edward orders them to cross our borders?’

The King had made up his mind. He rode along the ranks of his men as word of the challenge filtered through to them.

At first, there was silence, then a cry went up: ‘Hail, Macbeth, King of the Scots.’

A retort soon came from the opposing army standing 500 yards away: ‘Hail, King Malcolm.’

As the competing chants echoed around the glens, Macbeth turned to the messenger. ‘Tell Malcolm Canmore that I accept his challenge for the Throne of Scone. All weapons, treasure and the loyalty of their men go to the victor to unite Scotland under a strong king. We will meet in fifteen minutes.’

Macbeth chose Earl Duncan and Hereward as his seconds, while Canmore chose two Lowland earls from the English borders.

Macbeth was almost forty years of age; Canmore was fifteen years his junior and a much more powerful man.