The Battle of Bannockburn

An English knight suddenly attacked the Scottish king while he was inspecting his army. However, the king avoided the attack and struck the knight's head with an axe. The sight of this boosted the morale of the Scottish soldiers, who cheered loudly. The king had already eliminated pursuers and traitors with his own hands during his days as a fugitive. The king's name was Robert Bruce, the national hero who fought for Scotland's independence.

 

 

1. Robert Bruce's Guerrilla Tactics
After their defeat at the Battle of Falkirk, Scotland avoided direct confrontation with England. When Edward II ascended to the throne of England, he attempted to invade Scotland twice, but he was unable to overcome Scotland's guerrilla tactics and withdrew both times. Despite England's superior economic and military power, they had no success in their war against Scotland. The situation increasingly favored Scotland, and eventually, Robert Bruce's forces launched an attack on northern England. In response, England sent an army, but the Scots retreated into the mountains. This situation continued until 1314. Meanwhile, Scotland's military strength was growing, and Robert Bruce was steadily capturing Scottish territories. By March 1314, Edinburgh Castle had fallen, leaving only the castles of Bothwell and Stirling in England's control within Scotland.

 

2. Internal Conflict in England
At the time, England was experiencing internal conflicts between King Edward II and the nobility, which even had the potential to escalate into a civil war. This internal strife allowed Robert Bruce's army to continue strengthening, and they sought Scotland's independence. In October 1313, the English nobility accepted the mediation of Queen Isabella and apologized to the king, and Edward II accepted their apology, temporarily resolving the conflict within England.

 

3. Edward II's Direct Rule
With the internal issues in England resolved, Edward II could now focus his attention on Scotland. He organized a large military campaign to decisively conquer Scotland, but this took considerable time. During this period, the Scots attacked Stirling Castle, and upon hearing this, Edward II set out with an army that, although large, was still unprepared. Despite this, the royal army of England, numbering 25,000, far outnumbered Scotland’s 8,000 soldiers. Robert Bruce, leading the Scottish forces, halted the attack on Stirling Castle and planned a retreat. However, the Scottish nobles under his command opposed this decision and advocated for a direct confrontation with England. They argued that while Bruce's guerrilla tactics had prevented decisive defeats, they had also failed to achieve a decisive victory. Therefore, to address the mounting discontent among the nobles and to protect the throne, a direct confrontation with England was necessary. Yet, given that the English forces outnumbered the Scots by more than three to one, a direct battle could not be undertaken lightly. Thus, Robert Bruce decided to preserve his main forces while engaging in small skirmishes. At the same time, he positioned his army in the area between the entrance of Newpark Forest and the marshes near Bannockburn, where the fate of Scotland's independence would be decided.

 

4. Skirmishes
When the English army discovered the Scottish advance parties, they pursued them, and the advance units of England launched an attack on the main Scottish forces. The English vanguard attacked with great ferocity. During the clash, English knight Henry de Bohun charged at Robert Bruce with a lance, but Bruce dodged and struck him down with an axe. This brief crisis highlighted Bruce's presence, boosting the morale of the Scottish army. Then, two cavalry units from England charged from different directions, but in the marshes of Bannockburn, they could not fully charge. Additionally, the Scottish infantry had already formed a spear wall. Despite this, the English cavalry made three attempts to charge, all of which failed.

 

5. Scottish Ambush
The next day, the English, confident in their numerical superiority, expected that the Scots would not initiate an attack. With this assumption, they halted their attacks to assess the situation. However, the Scots did the unexpected. Scottish infantry, who had been hiding in the woods, began an attack, supported by archers. Although the Scottish archers were forced to retreat due to the English longbowmen’s counterattack, the Scottish infantry had already closed in on the English forces. The English then sent out their heavy cavalry, but the Scots formed their spear wall, routing the cavalry. At this point, Robert Bruce launched a full-scale attack. Despite being outnumbered, the Scots had the advantage due to the terrain of Bannockburn. The area was filled with streams and brush, preventing the English from organizing their lines effectively. The disarray among the English cavalry and infantry meant their numerical superiority lost its significance. As the situation grew worse for the English, Edward II ordered his longbowmen to begin a fierce barrage. The Scots began to suffer heavy losses, and it seemed as though the disaster of Falkirk might repeat itself. However, Robert Bruce sent out the cavalry he had preserved, causing severe damage to the English archers. The battle seemed to be turning in favor of the Scots, but a large portion of the English army still remained. A prolonged battle would have been disadvantageous for the Scots, especially since they had already committed all their reserves. Bruce then redeployed his archers into the battle, who resumed their attacks, while the Scottish infantry held their ground. Meanwhile, the cavalry launched a flanking attack on the English rear. This forced the English to retreat, leading to the collapse of their forces. The Scots emerged victorious. After fourteen years since their defeat at Falkirk, the Scots had finally achieved a decisive victory over the English.

 

6. Outcome of the Battle
King Edward II barely managed to escape with his life, thanks to the desperate efforts of his bodyguard. Had it not been for their efforts, he would have likely been killed. Although he survived, England lost around 1,000 knights and half of its infantry. It was a devastating defeat for England. As a result of this loss, England had to relinquish not only Stirling Castle but all its strongholds in Scotland. Following the defeat, the authority of the English monarchy weakened, and the power of the nobility, through Parliament, grew stronger. However, the nobility became divided into pro-royalist and anti-royalist factions, and with famine and disease spreading, internal chaos ensued. Meanwhile, in Scotland, English influence was completely eradicated. With the victory at Bannockburn, Scotland achieved full independence.