Battle of Bannockburn (1314) - Historical Battles

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• published: 26 Jan 2016
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Battle of Bannockburn 1314 AD - The time is 24 June 1314 and the English King Edward II has marched to relieve Stirling Castle which is besieged by Edward Bruce. Edward II of England came to the throne in 1307 but was incapable of providing the determined leadership that had been shown by his father, Edward I, and the English position soon became more difficult. Stirling Castle was one of the most important castles that was held by the English as it commanded the route north into the Scottish Highlands. It was besieged in 1314 by Robert the Bruce's brother, Edward Bruce, and an agreement was made that if the castle was not relieved by mid-summer then it would be surrendered to the Scots. The English could not ignore this challenge and military preparations were made for a substantial campaign in which the English army probably numbered 2,000 cavalry and 15,000 infantry, many of whom would have been longbowmen. The Scottish army probably numbered between 7,000 and 10,000 men, of whom no more than 500 would have been mounted. Unlike the heavily armoured English cavalry, the Scottish cavalry would have been light horsemen who were good for skirmishing and reconnaissance but were not suitable for charging the enemy lines. The Scottish infantry would have had axes, swords and pikes, with few bowmen among them. Edward II and his advisors were aware of the places that the Scots were likely to challenge them and sent out orders for their troops to prepare for an enemy established in boggy ground near to the River Forth, near Stirling. The English appear to have advanced in four divisions whereas the Scots were in three divisions, known as 'schiltrons' which were strong defensive circles of men bristling with pikes. Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, commanded the Scottish vanguard, which was stationed about a mile to the south of Stirling, near the church of St. Ninian, while the king commanded the rearguard at the entrance to the New Park. His brother Edward led the third division. According to Barbour, there was a fourth division nominally under the youthful Walter the Steward, but actually under the command of Sir James Douglas. On 23 June 1314,[first day of battle] two of the English cavalry formations advanced, the first commanded by the Earl of Gloucester and the Earl of Hereford and where counted by scottish cav under the command of robert bruce themselves..unable to clearly push throught to the castle , the english readied for the second day , crossing the stream under nightfall . Not long after daybreak, the Scots spearmen began to move towards the English. Edward was surprised to see Robert's army emerge from the cover of the woods. As Bruce's army drew nearer, they paused and knelt in prayer. Edward is supposed to have said in surprise "They pray for mercy!" "For mercy, yes," one of his attendants replied, "But from God, not you. These men will conquer or die." . The English answered with a cavalry charge of there own and the battle was joined. Can the Scots find the courage to win against the odds against the mighty war machine that is england....? I can't get Robert of Bruce as Commander for scots ..so i picked Edward[his brother[ as a suitable name..forgive me :D] Actual result :- Few accompanied Gloucester in his charge and when he reached the Scottish lines he was quickly surrounded and killed. Gradually the English were pushed back and ground down by the Scots' schiltrons. The English longbowmen attempted to support the advance of the knights but were ordered to cease fire as they were causing casualties among their own. An attempt to employ the English and Welsh longbowmen to shoot at the advancing Scots from their flank failed when they were dispersed by the Scottish 500-horse light cavalry under the Marischal Sir Robert Keith The English cavalry was hemmed in making it difficult for them to manoeuvre. As a result, the English were unable to hold their formations and broke ranks. Play the Battle: http://www.mediafire.com/download/nmf56nmf3ydix1j/bannockburn_Pain.rar Sources and Links to Videos Used: Battle of Bannockburn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRNx5awMOPk Monty Python and The Holy Grail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsKDg7Y28D8 Battle reenactment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N1-NDhccxI _ How to send me Battle Replays! This video will show you how to send me battle replays :D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nG3uZoDkCU ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to play Medieval 2 Total War & Rome Total War Online! Gamespy Servers are down, but there is still hope. Thanks to CA and steam you can still play the game online How to play Online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGfItCMitPg