The island of Britain contains two kingdoms: England and Scotland. Wales is, strictly speaking, a princpality and Cornwall a Duchy.
Over the years the two kingdoms have been rivals, allies, friends and enemies. In the very earliest days, both the Scots and the English were foreigners to Britain. The Scots were an Irish tribe settled in the lands around Kintyre while the English were invaders from northern Germany.
As Roman control over the province of Britain collapsed in the 5th century the English and the Scots both expanded their power and their territories. It was inevitable that they would eventually clash and battle was joined at Degsaston in about the year 603. At the time neither the English nor the Scots were a unified people and some years later the northern English fought against the Picts at Nechtansmere. The climax of these early battles came at Brunanburh, possibly the most decisive battle ever fought in Britain.
The truth about these early battles can be difficult to trace in any detail. The chroniclers often blurred events and places and were hopelessly inaccurate when dealing with figures. It is sometimes impossible to know exactly where the battle was fought and what happened. The author has walked the likely sites of the battles and closely studied the contemporary accounts. He is confident that he has been able to recreate what happened.
By the time of the Battle of the Standard the Scots and English had left the Dark Ages behind them and had become unified states in name, if not always in fact. The Kings of England claimed a vague superiority over the Kings of Scots, though it was never entirely clear what this meant. For the next four centuries the relationship between the two nations led to the battlefield as often as to the marriage altar or the negotiating table.
from England Vs Scotland by Rupert Matthews.
Get your copy HERE
http://www.amazon.co.uk/England-Versus-Scotland-British-Battles/dp/0850529492/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395824739&sr=8-1&keywords=england+vs+scotland+rupert
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