Carham, battle of

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Carham, battle of, 1018. Malcolm II of Scotland with his ally Owain of Strathclyde took advantage of Cnut's efforts to establish himself as ruler of England to invade Northumbria and reverse a defeat at Durham in 1006. He inflicted a severe defeat on the Northumbrians at Carham, south-west of Coldstream. Simeon of Durham wrote that ‘all the people who dwelt between Tees and Tweed were well-nigh exterminated’. It meant a significant shift in the balance of power in the north, confirming Scotland's hold on Lothian, and helping to establish the Tweed as the border.

J. A. Cannon

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