Fife and Scotland - the offbeat perspective

The battlefield of Bannockburn is perhaps the best known in Scottish History.

It lies South of the impressive and recently restored Stirling Castle and close to the present day village of Bannockburn and which is currently a suburb of Scotland's youngest city of Stirling.

Stirling lies approximately thirty miles west of central Fife and is the regional capital of Central Region. In modern times, there is a visitor centre at the battlefield and the castle is open to the public. On our visits, we were seldom lucky with the weather as seen in these pictures but even so, let me say the view from the ramparts of the castle are great even in the worst rainy weather. To the north, visitors can see the Wallace monument, a tall and unique tower named after William Wallace, and whose life was characterised by Mel Gibson in the popular movie, 'Braveheart' To the south, the view from the castle ramparts is almost like what one might see from a low flying aircraft and looks down on the former battlefield of Bannockburn. Such an eagle eye view of the surroundings explains why Stirling Castle was such a strong bastion of English rule over Scotland. You have to be here to see it for yourself!

Braveheart & William Wallace

In the thirteenth century, Scotland was a land in turmoil and where a resourceful and politically wise English King had carefully manipulated Scottish and Welsh affairs. Edward I had even been called upon to arbitrate as to the kingship of Scotland. He chose John Balliol, a man soon regarded as 'Toom Tabbard' and which translates as the 'empty raincoat'. More than once, Edward I chose to humiliate the Scottish King and often in public. Balliol was a puppet under the command of his English counterpart but the people weren't ready to accept this arrangement and rebellion was inevitable. In 1297, the Battle of Dunbar effectively ended any kind of early change and where John Balliol hid at Strthcathro near Montrose. He abdicated the throne soon afterwards in favour of 'Guardians Of The Realm' and which included two competitors for the throne of Scotland.

They were John Comyn of Kingussie and Robert Bruce of Annandale. Later, this was to be of profound effect but in the meantime, new leaders of the revolution,and initially still proclaiming that John Balliol was the rightful king, emerged to forge a new Scottish army and willing to fight for independence and freedom. Their names were William Wallace and Andrew Moray.

From what we know about William Wallace, he was apparently a man of taller and larger stature than most other Scots of the period. His sword was larger and heavier than most. The Wallace Monument, shown on the left, is sixty-seven metres (220 ft) high and open to the public on most days.

Although it's not entirely clear what caused Wallace to attack and resist the occupation; the notion presented in the film is entirely feasible. Edward I increasingly expected to get income and troops from his vassals in Scotland and support his wars in France but by contrast, the establishment of the 'Auld Alliance' between France and Scotland suddenly opened up two fronts with England caught in the centre. Andrew Moray, already fighting the 'Scottish Wars Of Independence', joined forces with Wallace and they were ultmately compelled to face a well trained and well equipped English army at Stirling Bridge.

At the time, the bridge in question could only accomodate two warhorses side by side and the English army thus became split with their knights and warhorses on one side with the infantry waiting on the other. In theory, the war horses were the tanks of their age and capable of breaking the ranks of any enemy line and permitting great advantage to the following infantry.

At Stirling Bridge however, the wily Scots permitted the warhorses to cross the bridge and followed by about eight thousand infantry before ordering the attack. The English were confident that they could repeat the success at Dunbar but even in the first moments of battle, Scottish spearmen rushed down towards the bridge and secured the bridgehead and thus splitting the superior forces of the English army. In response, the English war horses and knights charged forward but were suddenly confronted by pike men arranged in sheltron formations and with long pikes dug into the ground and levelled at various height and akin to a series of hedgehog spines but on a greater scale.

For only the second time in medieval history, (the first occurred in Switzerland), the overwhelming confidence of armoured knight and warhorse against infantry was broken and where the warhorses failed to deliver the knock-out blow expected of them. For the English, the situation grw worse as the Scottish sheltrons were ordered to advance and where English knights, warhorses and infantry were trapped with many attempting to swim over the river and failing. Wallace had won the day and was subsequently dubbed 'Guardian of Scotland' and even perhaps knighted by Robert the Bruce.

Alas one battle is not often the final arbittor of any war! one year later, the English army invaded again and on the field of Falkirk, the Scots army was defeated and Wallace was betrayed and captured. He was transported to London and where he was accused of treason against a king he had never sworn loyalty to then ordered to be hung, drawn and quartered with several parts of his body displayed to show what rewards would be gained if actions against the (English) King were taken. Edward I saw himself as the 'Hammer of the Scots' but never did live up to that title. In the immediate years after his death, insurrection necessitated further military adventures in an effort to quell the Scots.

Robert Bruce -King Of Scots

As stated earlier, both John Comyn and Robert Bruce could claim the throne of Scotland but their competitive nature came to a head in Dunfries Chapel and where Bruce killed him in an act of cold blooded murder.The 'man who might be king' left many followers and believers and as Robert the Bruce struggled to assemble the new Scottish army; there were many supporters of Comyn ready to fight against him. Despite this, Robert Bruce was crowned King of Scotland just seven weeks later.

English King Edward I had already made six victorious forays into Scotand and now commanded allegience from those granted in his favour to act in his place and raise an army against Robert Bruce and headed by Aymer de Valence, brother-in-law to John Comyn. In 1306, Valence commanded his army to Perth while Robert commanded his army just north of this position at Methven. Astonshingly in retrospect, and in a declining age of chivalry and fair quarter, a naive Robert failed to post sentries or spotters despite the close proximity of the armies; a crucial error that almost cost him his life and ambitions when Valence and his army attacked early in the morning of 19th June and caught the opposition completely by surprise. In a short space of time, Robert's army was routed and destroyed and he was forced to flee and hide.

According to popular myth and legend, Robert hid in a cave while Valence's men scoured the countryside in search of him and where he carefully observed a spider steadily rebuilding its web after it had been destroyed by his arrival. It seems the young king took this as a sign to begin again but in a different fashion and more akin to the guerilla tactics formerly employed by William Wallace and Andrew Moray.

It may be alleged that Robert was afraid to face up to major confrontation after the disaster at Methven but when his brother, Edward Bruce, began a seige of Stirling Castle in early 1314CE , the die was cast in this direction. Edward Bruce faced an initial position of stalemate but it was equally obvious the castle could not survive indefinitely without external help and support from England. Sir Philip Mowbray, charged with command of the castle, entered into agreement with Edward that if support from England failed to materialise by mid-summer then he would willingly surrender the castle. Given the strategic importance of Stirling Castle, Edward II of England was compelled to respond and despite recent internal insurrection from his barons and noblemen. Perhaps because the noble houses of England sought to heal the rift, many agreed to support a further military campaign into Scotland and the army sent into Scotland comprised about two thousand horses and about sixteen thousand infantry troops and archers. This army arrived in Edinburgh on June 19th and just a few days before the truce was due to expire. Trouble erupted among the eight hundred Welsh archers, and with time at a premium, the issue was settled by force witjh many Welshmen pu to the sword. On June 22nd, the English army reached Falkirk and were just fifteen miles from Stirling. From here, they followed an old Roman Road towards the castle and destiny on the Battlefield of Bannockburn.

By contrast, the Scottish army may have comprised about eight thousand men in all with about five hundred archers and five hundred warhorses. Although greatly outnumbered, the Scots had the considerable advantage of being on the site of battle in advance and where they use this time to place 'pot traps' and where the hoof of any warhorse falling into one was likely to break the horses leg and bring down its rider. The road from Falkirk was lined either side with such traps and forcing the English army to advance on a narrow front and where they would eventually arrive at the Tor Wood and where movement of the Scots army could be concealed. The English army would also arrive at a point where the slope of the land favoured the Scots. The land also favoured a strategic withrawal if Robert chose to take this option and this was seriously considered as an opton right up until the last moment. As stated earlier, Robert was not keen to rest his destiny on a single battle in the way William Wallace had at Falkirk. He was even critical of his brother, Edward, for creating this win or lose all situation but as the preparations took shape and where he could see the lie of the land, he must have known there would never be a better chance to win against the superior forces being applied against him. The area had natural boundaries like the River Forth to the North and the Bannockburn to the South and where both merged to the East. In addition and following the slaughter of Welshmen at Edinburgh, Robert was told about the poor atate of morale within the English army.

Forget any notion about a Scots army clad in kilts (kilts came later in Scottish history) and fighting with farming implements. Robert had rejected many applicants to join the Scots army unless suitably equipped with heavy vestment or mail clothing, spears, swords or bows and arrows. The new Scottish army had learned much from the experience of William Wallace and where sheltrons were now more able to move in perfect unison and retaining their ability to defeat any cavalry charge. They'd learned how to minimise aerial assault from archers and were more capable in many ways than previously.

On Sunday 23rd June, an extraordinary event and in advance of the main battle occurred. Henry de Bohun, nephew of the Earl of Hereford, had ridden ahead of the main army when he spotted the Scottish King riding a type of horse better known for agility rather than strength, size or power and known as a palfrey. Robert wasn't wearing armour and armed only with a battle-axe. It was an opportunity too good to miss and Henry de Bohum charged towards the Scottish King. As de Bohun's great warhorse thundered towards him, Robert stood his ground, watched with mounting anxiety by his own army. With the Englishman only feet away, Bruce turned aside, stood up tall in his stirrups and hit the knight so hard with his axe that he split de Bohun's helmet and head in two. This small incident became in a larger sense a symbol of the war itself: the one side heavily armed but lacking agility; the other highly mobile and open to opportunity. Rebuked by his commanders for the enormous risk he had taken, the Scottish King only expressed regret that he had broken the shaft of his best battle axe. On the same day, there were a few skimishes easily repulsed by the Scots but which should have signalled the kind of battle that might unfold on the second day and where the main battle took place.

The English army was still approaching Stirling from the south and Edward made a decision to cross the Bannockburn to the East of the New Park area. At first light, the sheltrons of Scottish spearmen began to move in unison towards the English front line. According to several accounts, Edward was surprised to see Robert's army emerge from the cover of the Tor Wood and as Bruce's army drew nearer, they paused and knelt in prayer.

The English King Edward is supposed to have said in surprise "They pray for mercy!" "For mercy, yes," one of his attendants replied, "But from God, not you. These men will conquer or die."

One of the English earls, Gloucester, asked the king to hurry up, but the king accused him of cowardice. Angered, the earl mounted his horse and led the vanguard on a charge against the leading Scots spearmen, commanded by Edward Bruce. Gloucester was one of the first casualties and alongside other knights. The sheer size of the English army made it difficult to move quickly and much time was lost trying to get into the preferred positions.

By then, Robert Bruce had committed his whole Scots army in a massive push into the poorly organized English mass, the skeltrons fighting side by side across a single front and defeating each charge of the English war horses. The small force of Scottish archers added misery in Edward's army and drove the English into a tightly packed area in which, if a man fell, he would be crushed by those walking over him. English and Welsh archers were forced to refrain from attack as there was a good chance that many of the arrows would strike infantry of the English army.

As the Scots moved forward, Englsih knights began to retreat and escape back across the Bannockburn. With the English formations beginning to break apart, a great shout went up from the Scots, "Lay on! Lay on! Lay on! They fail!"

This loud cry was heard by Bruce's camp followers largely comprising cooks and servants camped over the hill and initially out of sight. On hearing the cry, they gathered crude weapons and banners before mounting the ridge to see what was happening. To the shock and surprise of an already struggling English army; this was mistakenly viewed as the arrival of a fresh and fit reserve army.

The English army retreat now turned into a rout with some knights heading for the protection of the castle while the great bulk of them, clad in heavy armour attempted to cross the rivers. According to one account of the battle, written by Barbour, "they ran, tumbling over one another" and where the war horses crossed the carse land, normally bog-like in winter but quite dry during summer, only to be confronted by the steep and slippery banks of the river. Any hesitation at this point meant being pushed forward by the mass of panicing troops and knights running and rushing in an attempt to save their lives. According to Barbour, the crush was such that "men could pass dryshod upon the drowned bodies” in some places.

King Edward II fled from the battlefield with his personal bodyguards and evaded capture by securing passage to England on a boat sailing from Dunbar. The remainder of his army fared less well. Many were killed by the pursuing Scottish army or else by inhabitants of the lands they crossed through. According to historian Peter Reese, one one sizeable group of infantry did succeed in making the ninety-mile journey back into England but its notable that these were Welsh spearmen and perhaps spared on account of their common Celtic ancestry.

It's been suggested that a sizeable faction of English nobility was lost at Bannockburn with some estimates placing the casualty rate at about seven hundred with a further five hundred captured and held for ransom. Casualties among English infantry were worse and where as many as eleven thousand may have been killed, either on the battlefield or subsequently! The damage inflicted on the English was severe and took many years to repair. Despite this, England still refused to recognise Scotland as an independent nation until ten years after this event.

Scottish casualties were far lighter with only two knights killed and most of the Scottish army remaining intact. Robert Bruce, now undesputed King of Scotland, now inherited a huge amount of plunder and wealth abandoned by the retreating English, and yet, he was compelled to accept limitations as to his rule.

Before his death in 1329CE, Robert wrote an advisory directed towards future kings of Scotland and warning them of the power held and exerted Clan Donald and others. Such text suggests that while Robert held title over Scotand; he was also vassal to wishes demanded by the more powerful clan Lords of the north and where his power and influence might have been substantially weaker than might have been supposed in modern times.