Taking A Look At The Battle Of Bannockburn

As the lines of Scottish and English infantry clashed right over the Bannock Burn stream, Scottish king Sir Robert the Bruce was sighted by the English warrior and noble, Henry de Bohun. Sir Bohun charged the Scottish king, lance pointed down and steel helmet blending into the thick fog. What happened next would go down in history as one of the greatest battles for independence ever fought. The Battle of Bannockburn, which was a key cause for Scottish independence in the years to follow, is now the national holiday for the mighty and glorious nation of Scotland.
In the Scottish city of Stirling, the English and Scottish infantry meet once more. However unlike the year 1314, it is instead the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn. Every
Robert the Bruce and John Comyn had a conflicting relationship, mainly because Comyn had given up Bruce’s position to Edward II and betrayed him in order to get his land. Nevertheless, Robert the Bruce and John Comyn entered the Kirk and, before the high altar, Comyn was stabbed to death by his rival. The War for Scottish independence was again revived. Once again battles raged across Scotland for the control of strategic land and castles. The Battle of Bannockburn was fought near the city of Stirling, right on the present day town of Bannockburn. As the English force of 15,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry gathered on June 23, 1314, it was easily seen that they were superior in size. The Scottish force of 7,000 to 10,000 men, which probably included less than 500 cavalry, was less equipped than their opponents, with makeshift spears and few to no archers. The English side included large amounts of longbowmen, and the English cavalry was heavily equipped in comparison to the light, skirmish-ready cavalry of the Scots. Most medieval battles lasted for a few hours, however the Battle of Bannockburn lasted for two
Henry de Bohun, the nephew of the Earl of Hereford, charged directly at the Scottish king in an anticipated match of single combat. Robert the Bruce, however, simply leaned to one side of the saddle to dodge the lance, and stood straight up on the stirrups, bringing his mighty battleaxe straight down on the English knight’s head, splitting it in two. The loss of the English commander and the disability of the English troops to break the Scottish lines caused huge amounts of confusion and an English retreat. During nightfall, a Scottish knight who fought for Edward II snuck out to inform Robert the Bruce of the English’s weariness and low moral. The next morning Edward was surprised to see Bruce’s army emerge from the nearby forest. Edward ordered his longbowmen to fire a volley into the Scottish spearmen, however a charge of the Scottish light cavalry destroyed their ranks. The Earl of Gloucester was reported having an argument with the Earl of Hereford on how they should charge the Scottish ranks or keep a distance. The Earl of Gloucester led a very unsuccessful charge, and this just allowed him to be immediately surrounded and killed. With panic setting in, English troops fled back across the Bannock Burn stream, though 11,000 infantry would be killed and 500 other soldiers would be taken prisoner. Edward II caught a ship back to England, however the