The Battle of Bannockburn,
23rd-24th June 1314
"I
have broken my good battle-axe." are the words
attributed to King Robert the Bruce as he returned
from his fatal encounter with
de Bohun on the eve of the main battle by H E Marshall
in "Scotland's Story"*.
This
was a key opening blow on the 23rd June, the eve of
main battle on the Carse of Stirling that
secured Scotland's recognition as an independent
nation. (Earlier the attempt to send a relief force to
the English Garrison at Stirling had been defeated by
the Scots). The rest of the day saw a series of small
skirmishes as the opposing forces started to assess
each others strengths and weaknesses.
Edward II, seeking to emulate his father's success in
Scotland had led a great army into Scotland to punish
the Scots for their defeats of the English Garrisons
at Edinburgh and Roxburgh Castles. His force by
various accounts amounted to
25,000-40,000
against the Scots of 9,000-13,000. It included
2,500 heavy cavalry, 2,000 Welsh longbowmen and 500
light cavalry.
The
main battle took place on 24th June. King Robert
had chosen the
ground well, positioning his force between two
woods that protected his flanks, with the boggy ground
and the burn to his front. His main force was
set out in
schiltrons, tight groups of infantry with long
spears. This was a tactic first developed by
William Wallace, but the difference brought in by the
Bruce was that they were mobile, fatal hedgehogs of
men that would break up the English attacks.
Despite the advantages of ground and tactics, the day
wore on, and the English only gave up when "a third
force" appeared. The commonly held view was this was
the body of camp followers of the Scots Army, the
wives, children and servants who supported the Army.
There is a more interesting explanation which is found
in the
Templar and
Masonic tradition of Scotland, that this force was
none other than the body of Knights Templar, who had
found a safe refuge in the then excommunicated
Scotland, from the persecution of the Temple in France
and the rest of Europe, after Friday 13th September
1307, when its leaders were arrested and its assets
seized by order of King Philip the Fair of France, and
the Pope. There is also a view that this was
not the case.
This tradition tells how the Templars trained and
equipped the Scots Army, which explains their
unexpected success on the day, and the turning point
that came with their unexpected appearance.
To this day,
Militi Templi Scotia, the Scottish Knights
Templar, mark the anniversary with a
ceremony at the
Bannockburn Rotunda.
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