The Battle of Bannockburn

 

By 1314, things for King Edward II of England weren’t going very well. His relationship with his nobles were extremely strained because of the Piers Gaveston fiasco. But more serious still for the king was the situation in Scotland. Edward’s father, Edward I, had kept firm control over the Scots but Edward II was a very different type of king. Warfare was neither Edward II’s forte nor, indeed, was it even a priority. Over indulging with close friends and pursuing hobbies such as rowing, swimming, building walls and digging ditches which were all very unusual for a medieval king (except for the over indulgence perhaps). But the threat posed by Robert The Bruce to not only English control over Scotland but also to the peace and security of Northern England was growing ever more real. Edward knew this but the problem he had was that his kingdom was incredibly divided. Even if he was able to muster an army strong enough to invade Scotland, could he be sure that his men would support him wholeheartedly? Piers Gaveston, Edward’s close friend, had repeatedly insulted many of the most powerful men in England and the king had turned a blind eye to it. Although the English nobles, led by Thomas Earl of Lancaster, had their revenge by executing Piers in 1312, resentment of the king lingered on.

Before Piers’ capture and execution, he had accompanied Edward on a campaign to Scotland in 1310. This campaign was ordered by the king seemingly out of the blue. In reality, it was a diversionary tactic by Edward to distract the nobles from imposing a set of demands and reforms on the King that would be known as The Ordinances. Although The Ordinances were, in theory, to keep Edward’s power in check, its main purpose was to get rid of Piers Gaveston. Not wishing to front up to this, Edward chose that moment to go on campaign. Unsurprisingly, he found support for this Scottish expedition was in short supply. Even less surprising still was the fact the campaign, called in such haste, was a dismal failure. Edward pursued Robert The Bruce across Scotland but the King of Scots always maintained a safe distance from the English army and totally avoided battle. Edward was left with no option but to return to London and face the music.

By 1314, Robert The Bruce knew full well that Edward II was not the formidable adversary his father had been. Robert ravaged towns and villages on the border between Scotland and England, forcing the people there to come to terms, extorting massive tribute payments in the process. More significantly still, Robert turned his attention towards recapturing castles at Edinburgh and Roxburgh that had been held by the king of England. On hearing of these losses, Edward was said to be barely able to hold back his tears. At Stirling, Robert had forced the English constable of the castle there, Philip Mowbray, into an agreement. If Edward didn’t arrive to relieve the siege of Stirling Castle by June 24th 1314, then it would be surrendered to the Scots. As unwar-like as Edward II may be, even he knew now was the time for action. His royal prestige had taken a serious pummelling in the previous few years and the complete loss of Scotland could very well spell the end of his kingship. Edward once again called for his earls and barons to unite against their Scottish enemies. After all, defeat here could lead to Scottish invasions deep into the heart of England, threatening the lands and property of even the mightiest English nobles. Although the turnout was better then it had been for the 1310/11 campaign, powerful men like the Earls of Lancaster and Warwick still turned their back on Edward in his hour of need.

As I’ve already indicated, Edward II was as unlike his father Edward I as one could imagine. The Lanercost Chronicles describes the differences in how father and son would journey northwards. Edward I, in stern and solemn fashion, would stop at the shrines of English saints to pray and give generous offerings. Edward II, on the other hand, was described as travelling in great pomp and he is also accused of taking goods from monasteries and doing harm to other Holy Places. Edward II arrived at Stirling in June 1314 but almost straight away, the English army was put on the back foot. On 23rd June, a part of the army, led by a baron named Robert Clifford, was suddenly fell upon by a ferocious Scottish attack. The Scots had come pouring out of a wood, catching the English unawares, killing some and forcing the rest to flee and reunite with the rest of the English force. This was a classic example of the guerrilla warfare tactics that Robert The Bruce had become accustomed to using. In terms of numbers, the attack was far from fatal for the English but psychologically it had a significant impact with the Lanercost Chronicle describing the English soldiers as growing more fearful.

The two armies prepared for battle. The Scots fell to their knees in prayer before drawing up in three lines. The Scots, famously, used pikes to form an almost impenetrable wall for the onrushing English knights. As the pikes penetrated the flesh of English warhorses, in the words of the Lanercost Chronicle, an appalling din arose in the air. English knights were cut down in huge numbers. Amongst the most notable men to be killed was Gilbert De Clare, Earl of Gloucester, and Robert Clifford as well as many other knights. Further chaos ensued when scores of English soldiers were crushed and suffocated attempting to cross a deep ditch. As the chaos of the battle continued, the hapless English king, alongside his new favourite Hugh Despenser The Younger, had to be led away from the battle and escaped to the castle of Dunbar. After defeat had become inevitable, Edward had tried to take refuge inside Stirling Castle but Philip Mowbray knew that the castle was about to fall into Scottish hands and if he permitted the English king to enter, then Edward would become a prisoner of Robert The Bruce. And so, for Edward, the only thing for it was escape and he eventually made it to Dunbar, having been pursued by The Black Douglas all the way. Any Englishmen not quick enough to escape were cut down without mercy.

For Edward II, this was a typically inglorious moment. The English had heavily outnumbered the Scots. But greater numbers were not a guarantee of success. The Scots tactics, that I’ve outlined earlier, were clearly far superior to those of the English army. Edward was living on a wing and a prayer. He had embarked on this campaign with a sizable army but many of the men who could have given him a greater chance of defeating Robert The Bruce had remained in England, unwilling to serve the king even in a time of national emergency.  The Battle of Bannockburn was a total disaster for Edward II. He had proved himself to be a useless military leader. What little authority he had left as king had been totally undermined. The combined threats of Scottish invasions into England and losing his crown had increased manifold. But the question has to be asked; had Edward II learned his lesson from this most humbling of defeats? The answer is no. After this latest embarrassment, Edward had a new ally to comfort him. Hugh Despenser The Younger, a man who would become even closer to Edward II than even Piers Gaveston had been. Despenser’s influence over Edward II would eventually lead to both their downfalls and it’s quite fitting that he was by the king’s side during the low point of Edward II’s reign.