Scottish Wars of Independence - the battle of bannockburn

1. Scottish Wars of Independence
The
Battle of
Bannockburn

2. In today’s class, I am learning to:
• Describe events during the Battle of
Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn

3. King Robert was gradually regaining control of
Scotland from English rule. At Bannockburn his men
would fight for control of Stirling Castle..
The Battle of Bannockburn

4. The Scottish army laid
siege to Stirling Castle.
The castle’s governor, Sir
Philip Mowbray, had
agreed to hand control of
the castle to Bruce by
Midsummer Day 1314
unless an English army was
sent north. Edward II thus
led an army north.
The Battle of Bannockburn

5. There is a significant
historical debate about the
size of both armies at
Bannockburn.
It is definitely true that the
English army was much
larger than the Scottish
army, however the specific
numbers are not entirely
clear.
The Battle of Bannockburn

6. Some suggest that the
English had around 2000
knights on horseback and
15,000 soldiers.
Much of the English army
was made up of foreign
mercenaries (hired
soldiers) as many English
barons had sent only small
numbers of men.
The Battle of Bannockburn

7. The Scottish army is
believed to have been as
little as 5000 men.
The Scots were divided into
three schiltrons of roughly
1500 men each.
There were some knights
on horseback and also
archers in Scotland’s army.
The Battle of Bannockburn

8. Bruce had chosen the
battle site so the Scots had
trained on the field for
weeks beforehand.
They had also set traps
(such as pits).
Bruce was in command of
the entire army, as well as
one of the schiltrons.
The Battle of Bannockburn

9. The fighting took place
across two days: 23-24
June 1314.
Bruce used a nearby hill to
shelter his men and hide
their numbers.
They dug holes as traps or
and force the English to
take a certain direction.
The Battle of Bannockburn

10. It is not clear if either side
actually planned to fight on
the first day.
Both sides wanted to know
more about the size of the
other army.
Each country sent out
scout groups to try and see
the opposing army.
The Battle of Bannockburn

11. As the English scouts
travelled, an English knight,
Henry de Bohun, saw
Bruce riding on his own.
de Bohun charged at
Bruce. King Robert calmly
sat on his horse, evaded
the attack and crushed de
Bohun’s skull with a
battleaxe.
The Battle of Bannockburn

12. Another English scout
group, led by Sir Robert
Clifford, also came across a
Scottish schiltron.
They tried to attack but
were forced back by the
schiltron’s pikes. The
English retreated, either
back to their camp or to
Stirling Castle.
The Battle of Bannockburn

13. Morale was very different
in both camps.
The Scots celebrated
repelling Clifford’s forces
and Bruce killing de Bohun.
The English were still tired
from their march and
surprised at facing a
difficult fight.
The Battle of Bannockburn

14. Overnight, King Edward II
decided to move the
English camp, to allow for
an attack from a different
position the next day.
The decision to move the
camp meant the English
army were given little rest,
leaving them tired and
angry the next day.
The Battle of Bannockburn

15. The following day the
Scottish army took up their
positions. Before the battle
they knelt in prayer before
the Bishop of Arbroath.
King Edward is said to have
believed that this was in
fact the Scots surrendering
and asking for his
forgiveness.
The Battle of Bannockburn

16. The English prepared to
fight but their new position
meant that they could not
use the archers without
hitting their own men.
As the Scots’ schiltrons
advanced, the English army
charged. However the
boggy ground made it
difficult for their horses.
The Battle of Bannockburn

17. The English could not break
the schiltrons but the
Scots’ movement meant
they were now exposed to
English archers.
Just as the firing started
Bruce signalled for a
reserve force on Coxet Hill
– the sma’ folk - to attack
the English archers.
The Battle of Bannockburn

18. As the Scots advanced, the
English army retreated.
Many English soldiers
drowned in the burn;
others died fighting.
Edward II escaped and
tried to go into Stirling
Castle but was refused.
The Scots had their victory.
The Battle of Bannockburn