Bannockburn and Independence
The Battle of Bannockburn
Background
The English garrison in Stirling Castle were surrounded. As a result an agreement
was struck between the English governor and Edward Bruce, brother of the Scottish
King. If the English King Edward II had not sent troops to fight the assembled Scots
Army by Midsummer’s Day 1314 (June 24th), then the English would surrender the
castle. Both Edward II and Robert Bruce understood the strategic and symbolic
importance of Stirling. If this castle fell to the Scots, a huge step would be taken
towards achieving
independence. Bruce’s
concern was that victory
would involve winning a
major battle fought on
open ground, not the
‘ambush’ or ‘guerrilla’
tactics that had up to now
proved so successful.
Edward II marched north
with one of the largest
armies ever assembled on
British soil.
The Armies
The English Army
Commanders: King Edward II and the Earl of Gloucester
2000 Knights
18 000 Foot-soldiers and Archers
Edward ordered his army to gather at Wark near Berwick on 10th June 1314.
Numbering around 20 000 in total, his men comprised of experienced cavalry,
archers and foot-soldiers. There were also a
number of Scots fighting for Edward II,
mainly sworn enemies of Bruce such as the
Comyns and MacDougalls. Edward expected
that these combined forces would bring him
victory with a mass charge against the
Scottish foot-soldiers.
The Scottish Army
Commanders: King Robert, Edward Bruce, James Douglas, Robert
Keith and the Earl of Moray, Thomas Randolph
500 Knights
4500 Foot-soldiers and Archers
As well as a small number of archers from the Ettrick Forest in the Borders, Bruce’s
men were organised into four divisions of foot-soldiers and one of cavalry. Each
division was divided into three or four schiltrons of spearmen. In reserve were
approximately 2000 ‘small folk ’ – farmers and townspeople
King Robert gathered his army around him at an area called the ‘Borestone’. There
he raised the royal standard (flag). Bruce’s only chance of victory depended on
forcing the English to fight on the marshy ground, just north of the Bannock Burn.
This soft ground would make it difficult for the English cavalry to charge the smaller
Scottish force. The problem was how to get the English army to move into this area.
The English army would be arriving from the South along an old Roman road from
Falkirk. Bruce needed to divert this army onto softer ground so set a number of
traps to give the impression that the road to Stirling was ‘booby-trapped’ along its
whole length. Large pits were dug on the road and these had the desired effect. The
English commanders made the decision to leave the road and took up position near
to the Carse and the Bannock Burn. Despite moving into the area that Bruce had
hoped, remember that the English forces vastly outnumbered the Scots, both in
terms of cavalry and infantry.
The Scots may have had some advantages, however. The English Army had been on
the march for weeks and exhaustion may have been starting to take its toll. The
weather over these weeks had been extremely hot, adding to their discomfort.
Furthermore, these troops had never fought together as a combined force and some
were relatively untrained.
A Personal Duel
Just before the battle
began on the 23rd June,
an event took place that
could have had
dramatic consequences
on the entire outcome.
An English knight, Sir
Henry de Bohun spotted
King Robert and
decided to take him on
in single combat.
Dressed in full armour
he charged the Scottish
King. Bruce, not yet
dressed for battle
dodged the attack and
brought his battle axe down on de Bohun’s head, smashing through helmet and
skull. The king is said to have remarked “Alas, I have broken my good battle-axe”.
This incident served as a positive omen for the Scots. They were now even more
convinced that God favoured a Scots victory.
Other action on this day included a Scottish force driving off an attempt by English
cavalry to free the surrounded troops at Stirling Castle. By the evening of the first
day, the English were resting on land between the Bannock Burn and the Pelstream,
another tributary of the River Forth. Boosted by leaked news of low morale among
the English troops, the Scots now realised that their enemies were in a very confined
space and, despite having fewer men, Bruce decided to attack early the next
morning – Midsummer’s Day.
The Key Events
Although Bannockburn was actually fought over two days, most of the key events
took place on 24th June. The English army outnumbered the Scots but did not
behave like a cohesive fighting force. Perhaps too many of the English knights were
interested in personal glory and were less concerned with what happened to those
around them. Bruce’s men, though considerable fewer in number, were well drilled
in the use of pole-arms, long spiked poles held outwards to form a schiltron.
Bruce had taken up position on a low hill from which he
could observe the entire English army. The Scots army
knelt in prayer to which Edward II responded “Ha! They
kneel for mercy.” Edward had miscalculated the mood of
the enemy. As soon as the Scots heard the trumpets of
the English army, they rose and formed into their
schiltrons. The English troops began to attack but quickly
realised that a series of new traps had been set by Bruce
and his men. More pits had been dug between the English
army and the schiltrons. Caltrops (iron spikes) had been
scattered in front of the schiltrons to cripple the English
horses. Again and again the English army found it could
not break down the Scottish defences.
Edward had clearly underestimated the challenges he would face and had not, for
example, used his archers as effectively as his father had in defeating Wallace at
Falkirk. When he realised this mistake, it was too late. A charge by the small Scots
cavalry under Sir Robert Keith stopped the English archers firing on the schiltrons.
By this stage a combination of the
marshy ground, the fallen dead and
wounded and riderless and crippled
horses were hampering further English
attempts to get at the Scottish troops.
At this crucial moment, Bruce gave the
order for his men to attack, marching
in organised lines. At the same
moment, another Scots army seemed
to appear, rushing down a nearby
hillside. In fact, this was not an army
but another surprise organised by
Bruce, a collection of servants, aides
and ordinary civilians known as the
‘small folk’, organised to give the
impression of reinforcement troops to
intimidate the English. The plan
worked, creating confusion and panic in the English ranks.
Victory at Bannockburn
The English army turned and fled from the battlefield. Edward II made his way to
Stirling Castle where he was refused entry and was forced to make his way to
Dunbar where a boat took him back to England. Many of the fleeing English soldiers
drowned in the Bannock Burn or were captured.
Around 30 years after the battle an English chronicler wrote:
When both armies engaged each other and the great horses of the English charged the pikes
of the Scots like into a dense forest, there arose a terrible crash of spears broken and horses
wounded to death. The English in the rear could not reach the Scots because the leading
divisions were in the way. There was nothing for it but to flee … the Earl of Gloucester,
Sir John Comyn, and many nobles were killed besides foot-soldiers who fell in great
numbers. The English had crossed the Bannockburn, now they had to re-cross it. In
confusion many fell into it and many were never able to get out of it. The King and others
fled. Some who were not so speedy were killed by the Scots who hotly pursued them.
This had been an astonishing victory for the
Scots. As well as the military success, they also
captured much treasure, to an estimated value of
£200 000 (or £50 million in today’s money).
Bruce used some of this money and many of the
captured prisoners to exchange for his wife and
daughter.
Success at Bannockburn effectively ended the
English presence in Scotland and allowed Bruce
and others to truly regard him as ‘Robert I, King
of Scotland’.
Edward II’s reputation was destroyed. He had
lost a battle that the English should have
comfortably won, given their numerical
advantage. His army had been badly positioned
and had been drawn into the traps and ploys set
by the Scots. Overconfidence had caused him to
fail to use his archers effectively and his army
had been too quick to panic as the Scots pushed
forward.
It is also fair to argue that the Scottish army enjoyed certain advantages. They were
well led by King Robert, Edward Bruce, the Earl of Moray and Robert Keith. The
troops fought well as a unit and were dedicated to their cause of freeing Scotland
from English rule. This motivation for why they fought may have played a hige part
in their success. For many of the Scots their lives depended on victory in this battle.
Their loyalty to the cause and to King Robert was solid. Bruce had inspired this
loyalty and confidence in the years leading up to Bannockburn through tackling his
Scottish enemies and gradually reducing the English presence.
After Bannockburn
Although the Scots had won at Bannockburn Edward II refused to accept that Bruce
was king of Scotland. In an attempt to force his hand and acknowledge that
Scotland was a separate country again, Bruce used his army to attack many towns in
northern England. He recaptured Berwick and led raids that reached as far as York.
Buildings were burned, property seized, people and animals killed.
To place even more pressure
on the English king, 50
Scottish earls, barons and
nobles sent a document to the
new Pope in Rome. The
Declaration of Arbroath
discussed how Robert had led
the Scots to victory in the long
war against Edward I and his
son, and how the nobles had
rallied behind Robert in their
fight for independence.
Other arguments the Declaration made included:

Scotland had been an independent kingdom for a long time

It had had 113 kings of its own

Edward I had been cruel tyrant who caused destruction and death

Bruce had rescued his people from misery
They asked the Pope to end Bruce’s excommunication from the Catholic Church,
accept him as true King of Scots, and encourage Edward II to do the same. The
document was written and sent in 1320 and within a few years, the Pope agreed to
recognise Bruce as the rightful King of Scotland.
Peace with England would take a few more years.
Edward II had always struggled to gain himself the
reputation of his father. He had been an unpopular
figure among many English nobles even before his
humiliating defeat at Bannockburn. In 1327 his own
wife Isabella, conspired against him and he was
arrested, starved and eventually tortured to death on
her orders. Their 14-year-old son now became
Edward III. The English concluded that the time was
right to end the war with Scotland and a peace
treaty, the Treaty of Edinburgh was signed on 17th
March 1328 (this treaty is sometimes referred to as
the Treaty of Northampton, after the location of the English Parliament who
accepted it).
The Treaty included terms such as:

English Kings would not claim rights over Scotland and its people

‘There would be a true, final and perpetual peace between the Kings, their
heirs and successor and their lands and subjects.’

Bruce’s heir, his 4-year-old son David, should have a marriage arranged with
Joan, sister of Edward III.
After 32 years of war Scotland and England were now at peace. Sadly, Bruce did not
live much longer to enjoy it. Dying of leprosy on 7th June 1329, he was succeeded by
his young son who became David II.
Postscript
As Bruce lay dying he had made his closest
friend Sir James Douglas promise that his
heart would be taken on a crusade to the
Holy Land (Israel). Douglas attempted to
fulfil this promise and whilst Bruce’s body
was buried in Dunfermline Abbey, his heart
was cut out and carried in a silver casket.
However, Douglas’ crusade got no further
than Spain where he was killed in battle and
Bruce’s heart was eventually returned and
buried in the grounds of Melrose Abbey.
Nearly 500 years later, in 1818, some work
was being done in Dunfermline Abbey.
Bruce’s tomb had been destroyed and lost
hundreds of years before. Workers
unearthed a coffin in which a skeleton was
discovered, chest cracked and dressed in
royal robes. It was the remains of King
Robert. The body was reburied but before
doing so, a cast of the skull was made. This
helped sculptors to make the statue of
Bruce that stands at Bannockburn.