BATTLE. Second day
The intolerable heat of the early morning of June 24, 1314 foreshadowed a sultry day. The early rays of the sun fell on the haggard faces of the Scots who had come to New Park for Mass. Meanwhile, the British were rubbing their eyes on the ground, still not dry from the morning dew, somewhere between Bannockburn and Fort. Their sleep was shallow and anxious.
This is how the Scots attacked the British! What? Fearfully?!
The Scottish morning began with a meager breakfast: bread and water were all that the warriors could satisfy their hunger with before battle. The early formation took place in a solemn atmosphere: the knighthood of James Douglas and Walter Stewart took place. Bruce personally took part in the initiation ceremony, after the completion of the "solemn part" the army lined up, and, carefully descending the slope, moved down to the battlefield. At the forefront of the right flank was a detachment of Edward Bruce. On his left were the men of Douglas and Walter Stewart. The left flank consisted of the troops of Randolph and Ross and Moray. A detachment of commoners, consisting of islanders, highlanders and the Carrick militia, walked, as it should be, behind in reserve.
Memorial on the battlefield at Bannockburn. Monument to Robert the Bruce by sculptor Charles Jackson Pilkington.
The British could oppose the martial art of Bruce and his loyal commanders only the recklessness of Edward and the nobility. But, unfortunately, she turned out to be disunited after many petty quarrels, which were not worth a damn. Gloucester and Hereford could not decide who should be in the vanguard of the British army. The skirmish between them ended in mutual insults and forced Hereford to go to Edward himself to seek justice. But he did not manage to get to the sovereign. The Scots appeared on the battlefield, and the king ordered to prepare for the offensive. Gloucester, eager to personally command the battle, jumped on his warhorse, struck it with his spurs, and rushed forward. In a hurry, he forgot to put on his bright cloak with his personal coat of arms. And without him, he became one of the many knights who were also on horseback, and in armor, with a visor on their face. Because of this, the attack in which he led the cavalry turned out to be less powerful and coherent. The British knights attacked Bruce's squad with all their might. A fight ensued. Gloucester fell, pierced by the spear of the Scots. Skiltron caved in, but did not flinch. Douglas and Randolph with their troops rushed to the aid of Edward the Bruce, and the knights of Edward began to gradually give up their positions, hoping to regroup for a new attack. The Scots did not give them a break and again and again began to attack the positions of the British.
Second day.
Edward's frivolity in determining the location of the camp proved fatal to the army. Blocked between Bannockburn on the left and Fort (or even Pelstreembern) on the right, the British found themselves literally in a desperate situation. And here the Scots, of whom, according to rough estimates, there were no more than 4,000 people, were able to occupy the space between the rivers and thus drive the British into a trap from which it was simply impossible to get out. The fourfold superiority in forces on their part did not give them any advantages over the Scots, because there was no way to fight him. Even the archers, whose well-aimed arrows helped to defeat Falkirk during the reign of Father Edward II, were powerless: everything and everything was mixed, and the arrows of Edward's archers could hit both their knights and the Scottish spearmen. The British, under the onslaught of the Scots, step by step began to withdraw to the water, and, continuing to fight, separated the archers from the entire mass of the army, and sent them to the right, along the river bank. Having taken a comfortable position, they could shell the left flank of Douglas' detachment. The decisive moment came, which could lead to a repetition of Falkirk. The movement of the archers was noticed by Bruce, and he, sensing danger, ordered Sir James Keith and his cavalry to attack. Keith's cavalrymen easily passed along the sandy coast without getting bogged down in the sand, whereas for the heavy English cavalry this task would have been impossible. The loose sand sank under the hooves of the heavy cavalry, the horses got stuck, and there was no question of any kind of military action. The British archers were split into separate small groups before they even fired at the skiltrons, and the Scots continued their advance without fear of their arrows.
Battle of the Scottish infantry with the English knight. Rice. A. McBride
This was the decisive hour in the battle. Bruce sensed this and directed the warriors to fight the left flank of Douglas and Stewart's troops. Loyal warriors rose into battle after their commander and rushed to the attack, hacking the British to the right and left. The Scots pushed the enemy further and further. Realizing that the battle was completely lost, Sir Gilles Argenteine, loyal to Edward, took his master's horse by the bridle and led him out of the battlefield. The knights grouped around Edward and, guarding the king, escorted him to Sterling Castle. Only when it became clear that nothing threatened the life of the sovereign, Sir Gilles turned to Edouard with the words: "Sire, I am not accustomed to run … I tell you - goodbye." Turning his horse around, Gilles rushed swiftly away from the castle in the direction where the battle was still going on, the last battle of his life. Gilles died as a brave warrior. Well, the surviving British quickly realized that the king was not on the battlefield with them, they now had no one to defend, and the battle was largely lost. Meanwhile, the Scottish reserve, commoner volunteers, began to descend from Coxtet Hill. Noticing their movement, the British decided that another army had come to the aid of the Scots. And here the already greatly thinned ranks of the British wavered, and they ran, and ran so that nothing could stop their panicky flight. The archers pursued the fugitives, and many of them remained at the bottom of the river. Then there was a rumor that Bannockburn people could cross without getting their feet wet, so many corpses of people and horses were left lying in the water.
Gate to Stirling Castle. There are many beautiful medieval interiors, beautiful knightly armor, as well as 17th century cannons installed on the walls. It is a pleasure to walk around this castle!
The outcome of the battle for Edward's army is sad - it was almost completely destroyed. And those who were not killed were taken prisoner by the Scots. Captured knights were sold for ransom, and ordinary soldiers were treated very cruelly: sometimes they were beaten to death.
Stirling Castle. Royal Palace.
Yes, the battle was won and, although the hostilities were still ongoing, the advantage was clearly on the side of the Scots. Bruce was rightfully considered the winner. Good news instantly spread throughout Scotland. The people rejoiced to learn that they were now free.
The interiors of the castle have been restored and make a very pleasant impression.
There you can see beautiful medieval and also carefully restored tapestries …
… and knightly armor. What an English castle without them!
In Stirling Castle, a medieval kitchen has been restored, in which mannequins in medieval costumes are busy with their work.
Well, and Edward II, after parting with Sir Gilles Argenteine, with a heavy heart and bitter thoughts in his head, finally got to Stirling Castle. But his commandant Mowbray did not let Edward in, for the loser of the battle should not have appeared in the castle under the terms of the treaty. The king was forced to turn around and, accompanied by a knight's retinue, keep on his way to Dunbar. He managed to break away from James Douglas and his horsemen, who set off in pursuit of the king in order to take him prisoner, and if he did not surrender, then kill him. A ship headed south awaited him in Dunbar. Edward boarded the ship, the sails were immediately raised, and the ship with the king set sail from the shores of the enemy state. Well, the knights, vigilantly guarding him in such a hasty retreat, remained on the shore and had to independently look for ways to go home, to Britain, through enemy territory. Still, losing the battle did not diminish Edward's morale. Trying to act out the situation, His Majesty undertook a campaign to the north, trying to win at least Berwick from the Scots. An attempt to take revenge also suffered a fiasco, and this sovereign did not dare to fight for a single major battle with them. Scottish warriors, meanwhile, were waging a "hidden war" in Northern England. The counties of Northumberland, Cumbria, Yorkshire were raided by "saboteurs" for several years, after which chaos and devastation reigned in the villages, and only ashes remained of most of the houses.
The scene in the castle kitchen.
The very fate of Edward II was also sad. The result of the palace intrigues that Edward's wife skillfully wove (which was very vividly and skillfully told by the French Minister of Culture and writer Maurice Druon in his novel "The Cursed Kings") and her lover Sir Mortimer, was the sovereign's abdication from the throne in favor of his minor son Edward III …
But in the town of Stirling, which is located next to the castle, and where you can go with the same ticket as the castle, there is a building from 1630 called Argulls Loding, where you can enjoy the interiors of this time.
Fireplace.
Upper dining room.
Left without a crown, the disgraced monarch wandered from castle to castle throughout the state. His Majesty did not spend the rest of his days royally. His life ended in 1327, when he was subjected to a terrible and shameful execution by means of a red-hot poker inserted into his anus through a cut bull's horn. Thus, they killed the king and … left no traces of violence on his sacred person.
Four-poster bed.
Bruce died two years later, in 1329. By that time, the Pope had canceled the excommunication bull, but, alas, Bruce did not live to see the day when another bull officially recognized him and his heirs as crowned heads of Scotland. He was only 54 years old. Shortly before his death, Bruce had another son, also the heir to the throne.
Bruce had always dreamed of going on a crusade, and when he died, Sir James Douglas, knighted in New Park many, many years ago, decided to fulfill his overlord's unfulfilled dream. He put Bruce's embalmed heart in a silver box and set out on a campaign to fight the Muslims, then called Saracens.
Courtyard of Argulls Loding.
Douglas did not have time to reach the Promised Land, because Catholic Spain was still under the yoke of the followers of the Prophet Muhammad, and Douglas had to stay there and take battle with them on the Iberian land. In the Battle of You, Douglas and his warriors found themselves in a difficult position, because they had to fight in unfamiliar terrain. James Douglas spent some time looking closely at the Mohammedan battle formation, looking for a weak spot to strike. But their ranks were tight, and there was no chance of a breakthrough. Then Douglas turned to his soldiers, and, realizing by their faces that they infinitely trust their commander and are ready to follow him at the first order, turned to the enemy, took out a silver box with Bruce's heart hanging around his neck, and threw it with all his strength. the first rows of the enemy. With the cry: "Go first, as you always did!", James rushed to the attack and died heroically in the battle. It is true, however, that this whole story is heroized and mythologized in order. In reality, everything was a little different there. However, it is important, first of all, that King Bruce, even after his death, remained revered and loved by the people, well, and the fact that Christians won the battle under You.
Monument to Sir James Douglas in Theba.
He was one of those who ruled wisely and competently, striving for the independence of the country. Scotland then more than once lost its freedom, and Britain has more than once tried to turn back the clock and restore, in her opinion, historical justice.
England and Scotland united only in 1603 after the death of the childless Elizabeth I of England. And the king of the newly formed state was Bruce's grandson, James VI of Scotland.
THE FORCES OF THE WARRIORS
England Scotland
About 25,000 people About 10,000 people
LOSSES
About 10,000 people About 4,000 people
