Dunbar, Battles of, were fought in Scotland in 1296 and 1650. In 1290, Edward I of England was asked to decide the rightful king of Scotland. He chose John Balliol, but treated him as a vassal (dependent). Balliol defied Edward, and in 1296, Edward invaded Scotland and defeated Balliol at Dunbar.
In the Battle of Dunbar of 1650, the English general Oliver Cromwell defeated a Scottish army under David Leslie. The Scots had proclaimed the son of the executed Charles I king as Charles II. Cromwell outmaneuvered Leslie’s larger army. The Scots lost 3,000 men, compared with fewer than 100 killed on Cromwell’s side.
