Why there was a battle
By 1314 Robert the Bruce had taken most of the castles that England had held in Scotland. One of the most important, Stirling, remained in English hands. It controlled the main crossing into the north, and a siege was led by Bruce’s brother Edward. The English commander, Sir Philip Mowbray, agreed to surrender the castle if no relief arrived by midsummer, around 24 June.
This arrangement forced a decision. For the English king, Edward II, losing Stirling would be a visible blow. For Bruce, it meant either giving up the siege or meeting an English army that might be much larger than his own, an outcome he had avoided for years. Both sides now planned for a battle.
The armies
Edward II assembled a large force that included many mounted knights and men-at-arms, along with archers and infantry from England, Wales and other territories. Not every leading noble came, since political quarrels in England had left some absent. Estimates of numbers in medieval chronicles are unreliable, and modern historians are cautious. What can be said confidently is that the English army was substantially bigger than the Scottish one and included far more heavy cavalry.
Bruce’s army was mainly foot soldiers, organized in large formations of spearmen known as schiltrons. They were trained to stand in tight ranks with long spears, a tactic suited to resisting cavalry charges. The Scots also had a smaller body of mounted troops, and fewer archers than the English.
The first day
On 23 June the English advanced toward Stirling. The ground around the castle was cut by streams and patches of marsh, and Bruce had chosen a position in a wooded area known as the New Park, near the road from the south. According to Scottish accounts, as the English vanguard approached, Sir Henry de Bohun, a knight, saw Bruce riding in front of his men and charged him. Bruce, on a smaller horse and armed with an axe, is said to have killed de Bohun with a blow as he rode past. The story is well known and likely rests on a real incident, though details may have been embellished.
Another English force tried to bypass the Scots and reach the castle and was met by a schiltron under Thomas Randolph, Bruce’s nephew. The Scots held, and the English cavalry could not break them. By evening, the English had little to show for the day, and they camped on low, wet ground near the Bannock Burn.
The second day
On 24 June the Scots advanced out of the woods in the morning, in formation, to attack the English camp. The English were caught between water and the Scottish spears, and a large army was forced into a narrow space. Their archers were poorly placed and, according to some accounts, were scattered by a Scottish mounted charge. Without effective archer support, the cavalry kept charging and failed to break the spear formations. Pushed from the front, they lost cohesion, and many men were trapped by the streams behind them.
As the English line crumbled, the army fell into confusion. Edward II left the field with his household and made his way to Dunbar, from where he escaped by sea. Many noble prisoners were taken, and some were later exchanged for Scottish captives, including members of Bruce’s own family. Stirling surrendered as agreed. The earl of Hereford was among the captured, and the English dead included the earl of Gloucester.
Why the Scots won
Historians point to several reasons, none of which is mysterious:
- Ground. The marshy, confined terrain limited the English ability to use their numbers.
- Discipline. The Scottish schiltrons held their formation, and Bruce kept control of his army.
- Poor English coordination. The army arrived tired after hard marching, disagreements existed among its leaders, and archers and cavalry did not work together effectively.
- Leadership. Bruce had learned from earlier defeats and had chosen where to fight.
The battle also shows how much ground and battle tactics mattered. It shows how well-trained foot soldiers could defeat armored knights when conditions favored them, though it would be wrong to treat it as proof that cavalry had become obsolete. The English themselves later adapted their tactics, combining dismounted men-at-arms and longbowmen to powerful effect at the Battle of Crecy in 1346 and in later fights of the Hundred Years War.
What it changed
Bannockburn secured Bruce’s position as king within Scotland and weakened the English hold. It did not end the war. England did not recognize Scottish independence until 1328, and conflict resumed later. The victory also helped Bruce settle his domestic enemies, since many who had supported the English now had to accept his rule.
For Edward II, defeat contributed to a political crisis. Opposition among the barons grew, and the Edward II reign ended with his removal in 1327.
In Scottish memory
Bannockburn has long stood as a symbol of Scottish resistance. The poem The Brus, written decades later, dwells on the battle, and later writers added their own touches. In the modern era the site has been marked by a monument and a visitor center, and the battle is invoked in songs and political rhetoric. The Scottish nationalist song “Flower of Scotland,” associated with the national rugby team, refers to the defeat of Edward’s army.
A careful reader should keep in mind that exact numbers, some quotations and the precise location of the battlefield are not fully certain. The battle is also less a founding moment of the nation than a high point in a long struggle that continued for years before and after.