Scotland, 1314: The Battle of Bannockburn
It is silent. The unspoken tension that hangs in the air is broken by the flapping sound of a bird’s wings. Then, silent again. Footsteps on hollow wood: more tension. The people in front of the crowd hear a deep breath. Then, it starts. The words of the orator turn the tension into energy within the split of a second: “Too often in the past, Scotland has been sidelined and ignored in the Westminster corridors of power. But that does not have to be the case anymore!” People applaud, whistle, cheer.
Did you picture a blue face, armed men, a Braveheart type of scene? Well, it’s far from that, as this was Nicola Sturgeon speaking about Scottish independence during one of her campaigns for the SNP. The cry for independence might have experienced a recent surge, but it has been there for more than 700 years. Of course, back then, in 1314, the Scots tried to reach independence in a slightly different manner. This weekend, 710 years ago, blood was shed at the Battle of Bannockburn. What happened here? And why? Sabaton made an epic song about it, so you know it’s going to be good.
Of course, the Scottish and the English (yes, the English used to love conquering places) didn’t accidentally ran into each other after their club lost an important match. In the late 13th century, England was reigned by Edward the First, who wanted to make sure he had a worthy story to tell on his high school reunion. He figured it would be quite cool to gain power over Scotland, and so he started taking over Scottish territory and attacked Berwick Upon Tweed. His campaign started rather well for him, capturing nobles and breaking Scottish resistance. Eventually, he started assigning English officials to Scottish territories, and therefore gaining control over the region.
Edward was having the time of his life. He started asking people how they were doing, so that he could not listen, wait for the polite “and you?” and then flex the results of his Scottish campaign like there was no tomorrow. Those were good times for him, until a Mell Gibson look-a-like threw a spanner in the works. William Wallace, leader of the Scottish resistance, started a guerrilla war which seemed to be very effective against the English. Small skirmishes and the gained successes hyped up the Scottish people as it showed them that the English were not as strong as they appeared to be. The won Battle of Sterling Bridge solidified the belief in the Scottish independence even more. However, half a year later, William Wallace got defeated, which caused the Scottish indepence to loose its momentum. With the capture of Stirling Castle, Edward the First was the man again.
After things went downhill for the Scots, tensions started to rise internally. As the confidence in the Scottish independence took a dent by losses against the English, Scottish noblemen tried to find a way out of the conflict that was the most optimal for themselves. John Menteith, the type of guy who would remind the teacher to check the homework, betrayed William Wallace and had him captured by Edward’s troops in the summer of 1305. The English stated that Scotland was English and that Wallace fought for the Scots. Since the Scots were not English, he was marked as a betrayer. Resulting from this court case, Wallace got brutally executed in order to set an example for further rebellions. Scotland was English again, and Edward enjoyed a bit of peace and quiet. Then, in March 1306, like the buzz of a mosquito announces a terrible night, Edward got the message that Robert the Bruce got crowned King of the Scots. His first years were tough, but only eight years later, most of the Scottish castles were already back in Scottish hands.
In the meantime, Edward had passed away. He knew what victory tasted like, but it remained a delicacy for him only to be tasted once in a while. For Scotland, at least, as Edward I’s reign cannot be summarised in this short post. However, Edward must have been incredibly busy reorganising the English Kingdom and conquering places, because his strengths didn’t really seem to be passed on to his successor: Edward the Second. Robert the Bruce, however, wanted to be a true king, and therefore fought to regain control over Scotland. Though he suffered some early losses, he managed to oust the Scottish noblemen who were loyal to the English crown. This turned the odds in his favour. With regained energy and an organised resistance under his wings, Robert the Bruce sieged Sterling Castle.
Edward the Second was quite keen on this place, as it was the last English stronghold within Scotland. And so he decided to send a well equipped army to break the siege of Robert. Robert, claustrophobic as he was, could not be bothered to get closed in between two English armies. As the English marched north, Robert strategically positioned his troops near the Bannock Burn. And that is where it all happened, 710 years ago.
Though I like the sound of it, Robert did not choose the Bannock Burn for the cool name in the history books. The ground around the Bannock Burn was marshy, which wasn’t a great riding ground for the English cavalry. If you click on the link, you can see roughly where Robert positioned his troops. Robert north of the river, Edward on the south. By positioning here, Robert prevented his enemies from positioning their army over a wide area, reducing the damage that could be caused by cavalry attacks on the Scottish flanks. +1 for the King of the Scots. Another one for the high ground he had on the northern side of the Bannock Burn. Edward, however, had a larger army and was better equipped.
So there it is, the setting for the Battle of Bannockburn. The Scots excellently placed, the English incredibly well equipped. It would result in a legendary battle that would be engraved in Scottish national history for ever. So legendary, that it had the be fought in two days. On the first day, the English tried to force an attack on the flanks of the Scots. Basic strategy game logic tells us that spears are the best defence against horses, and so the Scots did. Handicapped by the terrain and repelled by the Schiltron formation, the English cavalry failed to break the Scottish lines. You can imagine that that gives a sense of power, repelling the early-day tanks with spears. And, classic Bannockburn, this wasn’t even the most shocking event of the day.
During one of the encounters between the English and the Scottish troops, Sir Henry de Bohun spotted Robert the Bruce on the battlefield. He figured that he could literally slice up the Scottish morale by taking Robert out. It was a calculated risk, but boy was he bad at math. As Henry charged towards Robert, his target stood still. The Scottish King awaited the perfect moment. Then, with all of his power, he struck his battle axe on Henry’s head. Even though helmets were obligated by the English safety officer, Henry de Bohun was gone. Robert had split the helmet of the English noblemen and hit his skull, killing him instantly. Imagine that, you see your king just kills an enemy commander with just one hit. Can you imagine the energy, the pride, the hype resulting from that? Scottish morale was high, but now it was through the roof. After several skirmishes, both sides called it a day. A great day for the north, a disaster for the south. Now, it was time to use the night and prepare for another day of fighting.
This was the day the English went for the full attack. However, the handicaps of the terrain still played them parts. Again, the cavalry was troubled by the marshy grounds and the river, not to think of the thight Schiltron formations of the Scottish infantry. The English also tried to get the Scots out of their superior position, off the high ground. But their positioning was so excellent that Edward’s troops did not manage to get them away from their safer places. Frustration grew on the English side, and their army became more and more disorganised by the failed attempts to break the Scottish positions. Again, with perfect timing, Robert the Bruce pulled out a legendary Uno reverse card. He went into a counter attack and further deteriorated the English morale. When the Scottish broke through their enemies’ lines, frustration switched into panic. When you have seen a panicing crowd, you know that it is not much different from a stampede of wildebeests. The structure of the English troops disappeared, and so did the possibility of an organised retreat.
Edward tried to get his troops back into battle formation. He tried to connect units, inspire, legend says he even said please. But it was done, the Scottish were lions that could not be tamed. The English scattered and ran, making them an easy prey for the Scots. Instead of only being embarrassed, even more of the English troops got killed when the Scots came and hunted them down. The English reinforcements were completely put out of order, and so the siege of Sterling Castle could continue. As the English governor didn’t see any way in getting out of this siege, he agreed to give up the last English stronghold in Scotland to Robert the Bruce. And so, the Battle of Bannockburn ended with a striking victory for the Scots. More wins would follow, until the English finally agreed to give Scotland their independence in 1328.
