Battle of Bannockburn 1314

The Battle of Bannockburn – or Stirling – occurred on the 23-24 June, 1314 between the King of England, Edward, and Robert the Bruce. It’s described as the worst English loss and the greatest Scottish victory. I’m not going to go into tactics and strategies… because frankly I don’t understand enough about it to do it justice. There are some pretty good books out there on it anyway by people who understand military history much better than I do.

Bannockburn started with several raids by the Scots into Northern England. Distracted by Gaveston’s murder and the Ordinances, Bruce sought the opportunity to strengthen his position.
It began with the seizure of Perth and was followed by castles being taken from Dumfriesshire and Galloway. Bruce moved further, taking the Isle of Man in may 1313, meaning the only remaining major strongholds in Scotland where Stirling Castle, and a number of fortresses in Linlithgow, Dunbar, Berwick and Roxburgh – none of which had gone over to Bruce yet. Linlithgow, Edinburgh and Roxburgh fell between September 1313 and March 1314.

An arrangement was made between Bruce’s brother, Edward Bruce, and the English force at Stirling. Unable to successfully besiege the castle and no sign of an end point they came to an agreement. If the king did not deploy a force by Midsummer Day 1314 then the English would surrender Stirling. Edward, hearing this challenge was forced to act.

Dissent amongst Edward and his magnates was evidently still an issue as Lancaster, Warwick, Arundel, and Warenne did not participate in the battle. The reasons for this are uncertain, but speculation has led historians to think that perhaps these men feared the repercussions of an English victory. It is possible the battle could have been used as an excuse to rid the kingdom of the men who had helped to kill Gaveston. The Earls refused to go, claiming that such a battle had not been agreed by parliament.

The effect this had on the battle itself is largely unknown, and although there is speculation over whether or not the loss of these magnates disadvantaged the English, it is just that – speculation. But the general gist of why the English lost so badly was because the Scots were able to chose the ground on which to fight, leaving the English in less than suitable conditions, and because the English were largely unprepared for the battle. Add to that the fact that Edward was decidedly a poor military leader who did not have the stomach for warfare and the fact that Scottish force were more disciplined and you have the recipe for defeat.

There was an argument over who would lead the vanguard (Gloucester or Hereford) and Edward was unable to resolve the debate between the two Earls. In many respects this shows the lack of control Edward had over his vassals. When the battle commenced, Gloucester rode ahead, wanting to be the first to engage the enemy and seek the glory. Abandoned by Bartholomew Badlesmere, he was promptly killed at the meagre age of twenty-three, leaving behind no heir. This in itself had major repercussions for the rest of Edward’s reign. The Earldom of Gloucester passed to his three sisters and led to a power struggle. Not only that, but Edward lost a great mediator and a valuable ally.

Bannockburn’s political implications caused further problems than the de Clare’s inheritance. Edward had lost magnificently and the Scottish expelled the English from all of Scotland – only retaining a hold on Berwick.

Sources Used:

• Altschul, M, ‘Clare, Gilbert de, eighth earl of Gloucester and seventh earl of Hertford (1291–1314)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004
• Prestwich, M, The Three Edwards: War and State in England 1272-1377, (Methuen and Co. LTD ,1980)
• Tuck A, Crown and Nobility, 1272-1461 (Oxford Blackwell, 2nd edition 1999)