Pinkie

Pinkie battlefield, E of Edinburgh, Scotland. There the English under Edward Seymour, duke of Somerset, defeated a larger Scottish force on Sept. 10, 1547. Somerset's invasion of Scotland, to enforce a marriage treaty (arranged by Henry VIII) between the young Edward VI and Mary Queen of Scots, so angered the Scots that Mary was sent to France to avoid the marriage.

Pinkie, Battle of (10 September 1547) Military engagement between the Scots and English, sometimes known as Pinkie Cleuch, which was fought to the east of Edinburgh, Scotland. A large but poorly equipped Scottish army was defeated by an English expeditionary force under the Duke of SOMERSET, but the expedition failed in its purpose of engineering a marriage between MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS and EDWARD VI of England and only drove the Scots closer towards alliance with France.

Pinkie Cleugh, battle of, 1547. One of the first decisions taken by Somerset when he became protector for Edward VI in 1547 was to settle the long-running war against Scotland with a decisive blow. The Scots had rejected proposals for a marriage between the young king of England and the infant Mary, queen of Scots, and had formed an alliance with France. The Scottish army, under Huntly and Arran, had a numerical advantage on 10 September when the two sides met at Pinkie Cleugh, east of Edinburgh, near Musselburgh. The Scots had the better of the early exchanges, but superior cavalry and the help of some warships gave Somerset a crushing victory. He went on to occupy Edinburgh but was unable to sustain his position.

J. A. Cannon