Of all the battles that took place in the British
Isles down through the ages, the war cries of the Battle of Bannockburn ring among the loudest.
Fought in 1314 between the King of Scotland, Robert I, or Robert the Bruce as he is more
commonly known, and King Edward II of England, the battle is one of the most iconic in history.
To understand the Battle of Bannockburn however, we need to understand the broader struggle that it
took place within: namely, the First Scottish War of Independence, which lasted from 1296 to 1328.
The First Scottish War of Independence grew out of a succession crisis, after Alexander III of
Scotland died in 1286, followed by his heir, Margaret, Maid of Norway, dying in 1290. This
vacuum of power sparked a contest for the crown between John Balliol and Robert Bruce, the
grandfather of the more famous Robert the Bruce who fought at Bannockburn. This dispute
resulted in King Edward I, who ruled England from 1273 to 1307, stepping in to mediate,
awarding Balliol the crown in 1292. The crafty English King exploited this appointment however,
frequently meddling in Scottish affairs. In 1295, the Scottish nobility, sick of Balliol’s
weak leadership and failure to maintain Scotland’s independence, signed the Auld
Alliance with France, the arch enemy of England. Edward’s response was to invade Scotland, which
began when English forces sacked the important Scottish border-town of Berwick, in 1296. In
response to Edward’s invasion, a resistance movement led by William Wallace and Andrew de
Moray formed, with this movement going on to win important battles, including at Stirling Bridge in
1297. However, the loss at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298 and further defeats resulted in England
controlling large parts of Scotland, including taking control of Stirling Castle between 1303
and 1304. Resistance to English rule renewed when Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scotland
in 1306, only a few months after Bruce had killed the baron and rival leader, John Comyn, thought
to have been due to a disagreement between the two men over the Scottish throne, although the reasons
as to why Bruce and his men stabbed Comyn to death are far from clear (Grant 2007: 178).
Regardless of the reasons, Bruce became King shortly after, and resistance
to English rule began to increase again, with Bruce successfully employing guerrilla warfare
tactics. By 1314, there were only two Scottish fortresses controlled by England – one at Berwick,
and the other at Stirling Castle. In early 1314, Bruce’s forces had struck a deal with the English
garrison at Stirling, agreeing that if no English reinforcements were been dispatched by mid-summer,
the castle would be surrendered to Bruce. By May, King Edward II was marching an army of around
13,000 men to Stirling Castle, the largest army to ever invade Scotland up until that point. The
battle that ensued is one of the most famous in Scottish history, although little written sources
exist detailing it (Ditchburn and MacDonald, 2014: 162). The Battle of Bannockburn took place
between the 23rd and 24th of June, 1314, and was likely fought on ground to the south of
Stirling Castle; ground which had been carefully chosen by Bruce. The Bannock and Pelstream
burns offered natural barriers to the east, and Bruce’s forces dug concealed pits
to impede the charging English cavalry. The epic opening exchange of the battle set the
tone for the entire episode. Mounted on a horse, Bruce was at the front of his troops. An English
knight, Henry de Bohun, spotted the Scottish King, and charged his horse towards Bruce leading with
his lance. Just as the English knight reached Bruce, the Scot slipped the lance by twisting his
mount of to the side, instantly propelling himself back up and smashing his axe through the English
warriors skull, killing his instantly. Energised, the Scottish fighters forced Edward’s cavalry
to withdraw. As the battle progressed, English attempts to outflank the Scots
failed, and Bruce’s infantry stood strong. Bruce had won the opening day.
During the night, a Scottish noble who was serving in the English army defected
to Bruce, and brought him crucial intelligence, giving the Scots an edge the following
day. When battle on the second day ensued, the English army failed to effectively
utilise their archers, and the Scottish forces tore through the chaotic English lines as
they began to disintegrate, as Edward fled. Hundreds of English soldiers drowned in the
burn as they desperately tried to escape the slaughter, as the Scottish force of approximately
6,000 troops triumphed. The following day, English forces in Stirling Castle surrendered to Bruce.
In the aftermath of the battle, Bruce ensured that the memory of the Scottish victory was preserved,
and tales of the battle were composed shortly after it finished (Ditchburn and MacDonald, 2014:
163). Bruce was in complete military control of Scotland, yet the picture on the political
side was more nuanced that the way it is often presented. On one hand, the victory helped to
consolidate Bruce’s hold on the crown, as former supporters of Balliol switched their allegiance to
Bruce. Yet, on the other, there was still domestic opposition to the rule of Bruce (Ditchburn and
MacDonald, 2014: 166). The reality is that Scots fought against Bruce before, during and after
Bannockburn, counter to the unified picture often presented (Ditchburn and MacDonald, 2014: 166).
Before Bruce died however, a short-lived peace with England was agreed (Ditchburn and MacDonald,
2014: 166). A year after Edward II was deposed in 1327, the First Scottish War of
Independence was concluded when the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton was signed with England, which recognised Scotland’s independence
and the Kingship of Robert the Bruce.
