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What were the main reasons of King Robert the Bruce's victory at the Battle of Bannockburn?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
What were the main reasons of King Robert the Bruce's victory at the Battle of Bannockburn?
1 - Bruce prepared the ground well.
2 - Bruce used the size of the English army against itself.
3 - English over-confidence and lack of comprehension.
4 - The Scots were united and fought to defend their homeland.
5 - The English believed they were invincible, and fell down on tactics and command.
The kind of fighting usually carried out in the Scottish War of Independence was more like guerrilla fighting. Hit and run. Attack an occupied castle and burn it. Then retire.
The Battle of Bannockburn was Different.
It was a pitched battle on ground of the Scottish King's choosing. There were anti-cavalry pits and traps, but the main advantage was the natural terrain. The marshes and the boggy ground restricted movement of large numbers of troops.
He who holds Stirling, Holds Scotland was a strategic truth. This is the narrowest point of the British Mainland. There are very few other ways north than through the lands controlled by forces holding Stirling, and Bannockburn is in the south-eastern approach marches of Stirling. the English controlled Stirling Castle, but not the surrounding lands.
Bruce was hugely outnumbered, but he used his forces wisely. The battle was over and the English Royal Feudal Army was in full flight South when the tail enders were still travelling North through Edinburgh with two day's march to go hoping to join the battle.
The battle turned the course of history and founded the modern spirit of Scotland.
The impact was collossal.
The English infantry was cut to pieces, only a few thousand of their 16,000+ managed to get back to England. King Edward II fled to Dunbar 90 miles to the South and took a rescue ship.
The English cavalry were massacred for booty or held for ransom. An estimated 900 horse out of a total of over 2000 were killed. Every knight would be in today's terms equivalent in riches to a F1 racing team. Golden-chased armours, tempered steel weapons of exotic and expert make, several horses, a team of attendants, ovens, marquees, plate, food and spices.
Scotland had almost no cavalry, and very few archers, but The Bruce used what he had to great effect.
The battle took place over two days. On the first day The English were riven by bickering. Then came the extraordinary encounter between de Bohun, an English knight, and King Robert. De Bohun was fully tooled-up and armoured on a war-horse. He spotted the King riding between his contingents and brought his huge lance to bear and charged in single combat. King Robert was without his armour, clad only in a tunic, mounted on a palfrey and carried only a short axe.
The king sat patiently as the huge destrier thundered closer. At the last moment, the King moved his light mount agilely to the side and stood up in his stirrups. He killed de Bohun with one blow to the skull. He used the enemy's momentum against him.
I love the bit where he is said to have retorted, when rebuked by his commanders for taking the risk "I only regret the breaking of my good axe-shaft".
On day two:- more Imperial incomprehension.
One of my favourite passages from Wikipedia is:-
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There was a great battle. The English bowmen were not effective and the well-trained Scots spearmen were a devastating weapon.
As the English were sucked into the killing zones, up went a great shout "Lay-on, Lay-on, They fail" and the English were fooled into thinking that this was a fresh cavalry reserve joining for the coup de grace. This tipped the battle into the endgame.
It is a story that will inspire thousands of generations to come.
However, we must remember that we fight not against others for their race or ethnicity, but for freedom from tyrany. Bruce was of Norman ancestry. The Story of Scotland is fascinating because it is so confused and contrary.
SkiPresto
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoThe lay of the land suited his army.
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What was Robert the Bruces horse called?
Hunter
Where was Robert the Bruces greatest victory?
Glen Trool in 1307 where with a force of only a few hundred infantry he routed a much larger carvery force of 1200 men. It was his first major victory and attracted many more men to his cause as well as serving to drive the English out of Galloway securing his first foothold in Scotland. A second suggestion would be the Battle of Loudon hill again in the year 1307, instead of like at Dunbar where the Scots had roundly been deafeated he did NT choose to Fight the Engish at there own game of pitched battles (his greatest skill according to Ewan Innes a Scottish historian) and when he did he choose where he fought and not just that he also adapted the terrain to make it more favourable by digging trenches that impeded the English caverly. At both these occassiosn he fough Amyer de Valance who clearly was his equal as far as military skills were concerned having defeated him at Methven in 1306. Although his most well remembered victory is The Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. It is not the case, At Bannockburn he fought a slightly larger English force that was untrained and tired after a march from Berwick. The battle was won by English incompetence and not Bruce's military prowess, indeed the only English move that day was to charge head on the Scots pikemen. Unlike at Falkirk were the English cavalry was used to isolate the Shiltrons by taking out the Scots archers and caverly then weakening the shiltrons with archers allowing the caverly and the English infantry to finish them off. The failure to use his force to the best of his ability shows that Edward II was a poor king and nothing like his father. Indeed many Scots celebrated when Edward I died as it was common knowlegde that his son was a weak man. The historian G.Bell says that "[Edward II] was not a particually intelligent or interested man" frequently allowing favourite such a Peirs Graveston to rule in his name. So Bannockburn although being a victory was not his greatest victory as he was up against a poorly commanded and worn out enemy. He also failed to capture Edward II and securue a quick end to the war he was allowed to escape and the war raged for another 14year prventing Bruce from securing his Kingdom allowing Edward Balliols invasion of Scotland in 1332.
What did the Declaration of Arbroath contribute to the Declaration of Independence?
This is quite a highly controversial issue amongst historians.Some would argue that the declaration of Arbroath was a diplomatic letter, while others see it as a radical movement in western constitutional thought.The letter was written for the pope, to convince him as head of the "European christian super state" to recognise Scottish sovereignty. This recognition would of put pressure on Edward of England to make peace and do the same.This recognition would result in Scotland securing its Independence in the long term. Many of the claims of the declaration are totally untrue (for example that all Scots supported Bruce, there were many who still supported the Balliol claim, they just kept quiet until after the Battle of Dupplin Moor 1332)Quote from the document'Yet if he (Bruce) should give up what he has begun, and agree to make us or our kingdom subject to the King of England or the English, we should exert ourselves at once to drive him out as our enemy and a subverter of his own rights and ours, and make some other man who was well able to defend us our King; for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.'These historians also argue that the passage (quoted above) that says if Bruce betrays us to the English we would select a new king, is rubbish as nobody could replace him, he had no sons and the closest claimant was Balliol who was exiled in France.Historians that take the view that the declaration was a radical movement in western constitutional thought and hence a precursor to the declaration of independence.Historians on this side argue that the threat to drive Bruce out was not a bluff, and reflected the feelings of the Scottish nobility at the time and say it is probable that one of Bruces supporters would of been elected kingThey argue that notable theologians of the day such as Dun Scotus had influenced Bishop Lambert. This new idea of popular sovereignty instead of divine mandate was used to establish Bruce in Scotland and convince many Scots to fight for him.Neither side makes an entirely convincing argument,So in conclusion we do not know, but it is very possible that in either case that the idea of popular sovereignty inspired the writers of the Declaration of Independence to create a contractual government.
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Where was Robert the Bruces greatest victory?
Glen Trool in 1307 where with a force of only a few hundred infantry he routed a much larger carvery force of 1200 men. It was his first major victory and attracted many more men to his cause as well as serving to drive the English out of Galloway securing his first foothold in Scotland. A second suggestion would be the Battle of Loudon hill again in the year 1307, instead of like at Dunbar where the Scots had roundly been deafeated he did NT choose to Fight the Engish at there own game of pitched battles (his greatest skill according to Ewan Innes a Scottish historian) and when he did he choose where he fought and not just that he also adapted the terrain to make it more favourable by digging trenches that impeded the English caverly. At both these occassiosn he fough Amyer de Valance who clearly was his equal as far as military skills were concerned having defeated him at Methven in 1306. Although his most well remembered victory is The Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. It is not the case, At Bannockburn he fought a slightly larger English force that was untrained and tired after a march from Berwick. The battle was won by English incompetence and not Bruce's military prowess, indeed the only English move that day was to charge head on the Scots pikemen. Unlike at Falkirk were the English cavalry was used to isolate the Shiltrons by taking out the Scots archers and caverly then weakening the shiltrons with archers allowing the caverly and the English infantry to finish them off. The failure to use his force to the best of his ability shows that Edward II was a poor king and nothing like his father. Indeed many Scots celebrated when Edward I died as it was common knowlegde that his son was a weak man. The historian G.Bell says that "[Edward II] was not a particually intelligent or interested man" frequently allowing favourite such a Peirs Graveston to rule in his name. So Bannockburn although being a victory was not his greatest victory as he was up against a poorly commanded and worn out enemy. He also failed to capture Edward II and securue a quick end to the war he was allowed to escape and the war raged for another 14year prventing Bruce from securing his Kingdom allowing Edward Balliols invasion of Scotland in 1332.
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