The Battle of Two Rivers

By Crusader1307

This battle was fought sometime around 671 A.D. and was between The Picts and The Northumbrians. The Picts (a tribal confederation of peoples, possibly of Scottish linage), were in the region of what is now Perth. They began a rebellion against perceived incursions into "their" territories by the Northumbrians. Said to have been primarily a "horse force" raised by the Northumbrians, they were ambushed by a reputedly larger Pictish infantry force. Despite suffering higher losses, the Northumberians were not only able to defeat the Picts, but is was said that they "trampled them under hoof", as they tried to retreat (or flee) across a nearby shallow river divide. The Pict resistance in the area was broken however, and these people were enslaved to the Northumbrians for nearly 14 years - as a result of their loss at Two Rivers.