The Battle of Bannockburn was the last major battle fought during the Wars of Independence. It took place over two days on the 23rd and 24th of June 1314.
Find out how Robert the Bruce defeated the English army at the Battle of Bannockburn.
NARRATOR:The Wars of Independence. The Battle of Bannockburn 1314.
The Scottish Army are here to take back Stirling, the last castle in Scotland held by English soldiers.
And Edward the Second and his massive English Army are here, to save them.
Robert the Bruce is hiding his army from the English and Welsh archers in The New Park amongst the trees. His army look to their King.
PIKEMAN:King Robert’s got a plan. We’ve been here for a day already. I’ve not done any fighting yet. I bet I will today. Soon as its light. This is it. Today will decide it all.
We’re ordered into the open ground. Now, we fight. Look at them. Must be two – or three times – as many as us.
The King commands us to get into three great schiltrons at the front. I’m in the one on the right! We call them hedgehogs. My pike is one spike among many!! We listen for the King.
ROBERT THE BRUCE:(distant loud shout) Go!!!
PIKEMAN:We move quickly now towards the English Knights.
NARRATOR:They’re stunned! They didn’t expect a smaller army of men on foot would dare march towards them!
And when the English charge, they have much less room. And the Scottish Schiltrons do their work!
PIKEMAN:Push on!
NARRATOR:The Schiltrons keep pushing the English back…. The massive English army is trapped, bogged down. Crushed up.
PIKEMAN:Ah! The English archers are firing at us! We’ve got nowhere to hide! Aw! Our cavalry chases them away! That could have been a disaster! Push on! Push on!
And we do push on. Right into the Bannockburn. I even see King Edward! I try to grab him, but I don’t want a mace in the face! Aw.He gets away!
NARRATOR:And then, on King Robert’s command, the camp followers appear. They’re not part of the main army, but the English don’t know that. They think its more Scottish soldiers. The English retreat turns into panic and the ones that can, flee.
The battle was won because of King Robert’s tactics. He used the land itself against the English.
And he did what the English didn’t expect: attack. Robert the Bruce won the day. And sent Edward’s army home again, to think again…
How did Robert the Bruce win the battle?
Robert the Bruce led the Scottish army. Facing them was a much bigger English army, under the command of the English king, Edward II.
To beat them, Robert had to be clever.
Robert had organised his soldiers into large, tight formations called schiltrons.
The schiltrons looked like large hedgehogs because the men were armed with long spears and pikes.
Robert didn't rush into battle. He kept his army safe on the first day and waited for the English army to make a mistake.
Battle of Bannockburn: Key moments
Image caption, Stirling Castle
The Battle of Bannockburn near Stirling Castle - the last castle in Scotland held by English soldiers. Stirling Castle was the 'key' to central Scotland. If you controlled Stirling Castle, you controlled Scotland.
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Image source, ALAMY (E4 H6 HK)Robert's battle plan
- Robert hid his army in woodland to protect it from English archers
- Robert waited till the English army crossed a stream
- Robert's schiltrons surprised the English army by charging at them
- The English army was trapped by the steep banks of the stream and couldn't retreat
- Robert told men and women helpers to advance. This tricked the English into thinking he had a larger army
Robert's plan worked. The English army was caught by surprise and panicked when they thought even more Scottish soldiers were coming.
Thousands of English soldiers were killed. Only a few hundred escaped and made it home to England safely.
Image source, ALAMY (E4 H6 HK)More on Wars of Independence
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