Physically—the illustrious heroes of other civilizations—the British gentleman was very good at it.
In the summer of the fifth year of the beginning of the 14th century, the bustling center of London was bustling with people. The townspeople farmers watched the execution ground that had just been laid down, specifically for the abuse of William Wallace, the scottish man who shined in the Hollywood movie Braveheart. After the street, the executioner first hoisted it on the gallows, then dug his belly and opened his stomach, burned his intestines, and finally cut off his head and unloaded four pieces.
The horrific scene made the crowd shout and scream, except for the women and children, even the strong men and men had scalps tingling when they saw it. King Edward of England smiled with satisfaction, and the end of daring to resist British hegemony was clearly and clearly revealed to the people. Especially the Scots, do they dare to continue to oppose England? Do you dare to honestly pay grain taxes, sacrifice children and daughters, and obey and serve as cannon fodder on the front line against the French?
Since scotland had no king, edward with long legs took the opportunity to occupy the magpie's nest, and the iron fist of Scotland was not severe, but this abacus was not so accurate on the Highlanders. Who would have thought that Wallace's head was still dripping asphalt on the london bridge, and there would be hard bones to continue to raise the banner of resistance.
Robert the Bruce, an aspiring Scottish nobleman who openly crowned himself King of Scotland, continued to fight the invaders along Wallace's path. He will eventually become the real "brave heart" in the history books.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="6" > the price of a hero:</h1>
People say that the hero's road is bumpy, and he only lets the years be lost.
If heroes are easy to do, the world has long been eager. In the face of the continuous and overwhelming "cost", it is difficult to say that King Robert was not at all moved. The humiliating experience of having turned to Edward lingered like a nightmare, deeply humiliating him in some corner of his heart. Now the British methodically put his wife and sister in an iron cage to let the sun shine, behead his brother and a large number of relatives and friends one by one, divide his land castle completely, and expel him from the church and lower him to "extermination", becoming a public enemy that everyone can kill. As for the 9-year-old daughter, she was thrown into the monastery, as if she were an orphan girl.
According to the routine of the little talking book, King Robert will turn grief into strength and fight a blow to hit the British. However, the facts were cold and unforgiving, and the Scottish army suffered heavy losses in the first battle under the leadership of the new king. In the Battle of Mesvin, the British army attacked at night, the Scots were caught off guard, and nearly 4,000 soldiers returned to the earth, which can be said to be more than Wallace's previous losses in Falkirk.
Wallace went into exile after the defeat of Falkirk and was eventually betrayed to the British by his servants; what if King Robert failed to succeed and suffered an even more devastating blow? Is it really like the rumors at the time that the King of Scotland, who only did one summer, was the last King of Scotland in the world!
After being defeated by the British, the Scottish nobles under the original competitor, Kang Ming, also fell into the well and ambushed and raided King Robert's hundreds of troops. Although he was able to escape with his own bravery and the battle of the general Douglas, the result of the almost total annihilation of the Scottish Resistance Army was an indisputable fact. In the eyes of the British, they can sit back and relax. The islands in the north of Scotland that are so desolate that birds do not lay eggs may be the final burial places of those who dare to resist and starve to death. Or, the Scottish landowners loyal to King Edward the Long-legged could have had the luck to catch one or two remnants of Robert in exchange for a great reward.
Frost and snow, winter is difficult, during this time King Robert's traces seem to have completely evaporated, leaving a record for future generations, it seems that the only thing that is well-known is the legend of spider weaving webs.
In the spring of 1307, the Scottish Resistance finally reappeared. They were greeted by the onrushing blows of the British occupation forces. The detachment led by King Robert's two brothers was soon completely destroyed, and the brothers were executed. If this continues, the Robert family will probably wither away, leaving only the cold names on the family tree. Fortunately, the king himself did not repeat the same mistake after his return, and Robert led 600 warriors to defeat the British army by 5 times at Lawton Hill, and defeated the enemy's proud cavalry head-on with a pure infantry team.
After a long drought, Scotland had a hard time ushering in a victory, but King Robert did not choose to continue to fight hard with the occupying army, but learned from Wallace to fight guerrilla warfare. King Edward of the Long-legged King, despite his old age, personally led a large army to suppress it. The nickname "Hammer of Scotland" constantly highlights his stubborn desire for northern lands. Who knew that before the Highlander could be found, the disease took his life. A generation of overlords, Edward, passed away, leaving behind an English legacy that had to be counted on those who came after him.
Prince Edward II was tall and handsome, but he was only interested in his father's death. He prefers to spend his time in the gentle countryside of his male companions instead of going through the piles of annoying files, who makes him a natural noble breed? The days of being born as kings are full of glory and no lack of aura, and the respected priests solemnly declare: "The prince will become the King Arthur of the new era, and will lead all England to glory!" "When Edward II was young, his father subdued Wales, intimidated Ireland, invaded Scotland, and expanded his sphere of influence to the British Isles. Now the lands, nobles, subjects, and prestigious armies of the entire kingdom were in the hands of the young king. Edward II was just 23 years old.
The new king of England was busy, crossing the ocean to complete a political marriage with a 12-year-old French princess, sneaking up on his handsome friend Piers Gaveston, and calming the anger of his ministers and the Lancastrian family over his abuse of power. Everything was tossed for several years, and although he finally failed to save the life of his beloved boyfriend Gaviston, he finally let his throne sit firmly for the time being.
At least after a difficult compromise with the ministers, Parliament agreed to raise taxes, the Pope agreed to a loan, and the French father-in-law borrowed money. With money, with gold coins, the new king of England "lived" again.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="103" > eight years of guerrilla warfare and frontal showdown:</h1>
What are the Scots doing? --Eight years of the War of Resistance.
King Robert was much poorer than the English. Almost every month, he led guerrillas into his hometown, removing food, returning to the peasant households, and not forgetting to burn down his castle and enemy strongholds. For eight long years, Robert did not look like a king with a golden crown on his head, but became a Robin Hood-like green forest hero. He did not fight head-on with the British, but came and went without a trace and resolutely swept away the English forces in the north.
A feudal lord, a self-proclaimed king, set aside all dogmas and stood up to the notoriety of the "common enemy of mankind" imposed by the Church, only to break free of the shackles of Scotland, as Wallace had done.
By 1314, most of the forts in Scotland had been retaken by King Robert, and even the northern frontiers of England were no longer secure. When spring was in full bloom, the 40-year-old King Robert led an army to besiege Strindberg, an important stronghold of the British occupation army. The time for a good fight is coming, and many Scottish veterans can still remember that Wallace killed the British soldiers on horseback at the Stirling Bridge not far away, and became famous in the First World War.
Although somewhat irritated, Edward II was more excited about the Battle of Bi. The hunter was worried that he could not find his prey, and the fox drilled out on his own. Since the Scots have appeared, they will seize the opportunity to make a complete decision. Now that they had a common enemy, the Lancastrians and the ministers were finally on their own side (Edward II would later root out Lancaster, who always troubled him), and with the large sum of gold coins that had just been obtained in the treasury, the time was ripe to solve the Scottish problem in one fell swoop. However, the world is often unpredictable, who is the hunter and who is the fox?
At the end of June, spring goes to the summer solstice. In the warm wind, the flying Dragon Flag of England appeared southeast of Strindberg. Horseshoes waded through the wetlands on the banks of the Foss River, and the sound of armor blades colliding and rubbing became an accompaniment to the soldiers' dense footsteps. The English came, edward II led the English, the Welsh, the Irish.
They included about 16,000 infantrymen, including the longbowmen (about 2,000) who would have chilled the French many hundred years later, and 2,000 heavy cavalry (some say 3,000) straddling high-headed horses, the undisputed strongest impact force of the 14th century. It is not the first time that the young king has seen battlefield killing, and now what is there to fear from the elite precursor left by his father? Moreover, this is the largest army ever invaded Scotland.
King Robert's strength was of course dwarfed, but about a third of the British, who consisted of about 5,500 infantry and 500 cavalry (some say 6,000–7,000 infantry, 500 cavalry). Compared with the enemy's full armor, the Scottish infantry was underarmed, they were almost all spearmen, most of them used a very distinctive 4-meter long gun, as well as short axes and one-handed swords. Archers, although armed with well-textured yew longbows, were limited in number. Most of the cavalry was lightly armed, and the reconnaissance and harassment was not bad, and it was difficult to meet the task of breaking through the enemy position.
The British marched north along the Roman Boulevard in a mighty formation. Along the way, birds and finches are silent, and the Shadows are sparse, and the Scottish commoners who have already learned their lessons only dare to look at the distance, who dares to get close to these flying invaders? The besieged Strindberg is looking forward to it. Previously, the trapped people had to make a compromise with the brother of Robert, who was besieging the city, and if there were no reinforcements before midsummer, they would voluntarily surrender the city. Now, upon learning that His Majesty the King himself had come to the rescue, the British in Strindberg were ecstatic.
If the pursuit of money will turn the coward into an outlaw, then holding power is enough to make ordinary people have a momentary hegemony. Edward II had nothing to worry about, even with a hint of trepidation, he was also worried that the Scots would slip away again, after all, the news brought by several sentries confirmed that the opponent could retreat at any time, and several times it cost money and effort to send troops, and in the end the futility was still vivid, how could the courtiers see the joke again?
His Majesty the Emperor was somewhat familiar with dancing knives and guns, but he had a number of earls, barons, and jazzmen who were more proficient in battle, and even participated in the Crusades, won countless championships, and later became known as the "Third Great Knight of Christendom", Giles d'Argentan (according to which Henry VII of God, King Robert of Scotland, and Dagendam were the three most accomplished knights in Christendom).
(Dagendan model, a famous knight brought back from the Holy Land by edward with long legs, personally guarded by Edward II)
A well-trained army, an experienced general, and the military legacy of the long-legged Edward to his son can not be described as strong, such a team is also eye-catching in Europe. With enough confidence, His Majesty the Emperor's actions are always bold, such as appointing the 23-year-old Gilbert de Clare as the commander-in-chief, and it is certainly a good thing to hope that a younger generation like himself can pick up the beams. Although it was customary to be led by the most honorable Count of Hereford, Humphrey de Bohun, Edward II had been uneasy about the "diehards" in high positions since the murder of his boyfriend.
The Earl of Hereford was indignant, and in his opinion his family was well known in Hereford and Essex, and even throughout England there was no one known for Humphrey de Bochum. It was only because of the struggle for power with the emperor's close friend Gawiston in the past that he was now ostracized. In a negative mood, the Earl of Hereford led the cavalry team first, not wanting to be restrained by the younger generations at all.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="104" > the first day of the Battle of Bannockburn – The King's Heads-Up:</h1>
On 23 June 1314, the Earl did not take long to walk along the Roman Boulevard towards Strindberg when he saw the Scottish position. I saw that the Scottish spearmen had dug trenches and guarded the battle line. This trench-digging tactic had been used as early as Falkirk, as well as at the Battle of Lauton Hill, and was effective in limiting the maneuvering and charging that the English cavalry prided itself on.
Readers in our country, I am afraid that no one knows the deeds of Guan Yu in the Three Kingdoms, so is there a similar scene in the West?
The British vanguard cavalry found the Scottish positions to be expected, but they had more to gain. Sir Henry de Bohun, the cousin of the Earl of Hereford, saw a Scottish nobleman leading a small retinue of troops deployed around the perimeter, and the man's helmet was vaguely inlaid with gold rings.
Bochum was overjoyed, less than 22 years old, he was in the flesh and blood, how can he miss the great achievement in front of him? Without waiting for others to react, Bochum had pulled down his helmet and rode forward, and the gun was straight to take the enemy chief. Galloping horses pass by, hooves splashing mud, and the wind swept the grass. The English heavy war horse is tall and strong, the impact power is well known, and the spear in Bochum's hand is extremely sharp, and the charge can be described as thunderous.
King Robert himself, indeed, was just opposite. He noticed that the English knight was coming towards him, and with a little concentration, he just looked at each other coldly, stood still on the horse, moved his fingers by the way, and shook his favorite one-handed steel axe. The entourage was stunned, and I am afraid that Bochum was also amazed at how calm this enemy was, and how unresponsive he did not react in the face of the charge of the famous English knights. Is it a megalomaniac or has been paralyzed? He had no time to think, jumping next to the horse's head, the spear had been flattened, the target was getting closer and closer in the gap in the helmet, 50 meters, 30 meters...
More focused than the knightly competition, Bochum leaned forward, concentrating all his strength on the gun, ready to crush his opponent with the strength of man and horse. In the blink of an eye, the tip of the gun has arrived! Bochum was horrified to find that the spear in his hand had no power and was in vain!
It turned out that the two horses were close, only to see Robert tapping the horse's belly, pulling the reins on the side, and quickly letting the small horse under the crotch aside. At that time, the tip of the gun shined just past, the King of Scotland raised an axe, and suddenly Bochum's helmet cracked, the brain plasma splashed, and the puppet fell off the horse, and there was no breath.
"Drink, pity..." King Robert sighed softly, looking at the shaft of the axe that had just been broken, and it seemed that he needed to repair his beloved little steel axe.
(The story of the axe splitting Bochum is extremely famous in the West, and various versions of the painting can be seen, one word - chop chop chop chop chop
If it were not for the fact that the two armies had recorded such a scene at the same time, I am afraid that future generations would have laughed at this as an exaggeration. Robert slashed Bochum in one round, and a famous scene in the history of the war was passed on by people, and many painters in the future were even more eager. Like Guan Yu's slashing, this move has become one of the few famous heads-up slash records that really exist in the history of the world.
At this moment, the Scottish position, which had been silent for a long time, finally broke out into a loud cheer, and his king was so heroic! The soldiers cheered for their privilege in witnessing a thrilling battle, and their spirits could not help but overflow.
The English cavalry was slightly delayed for a moment, and the Earl of Hereford, furious at the sight of his cousin's murder, immediately launched a charge. As they accelerated, confident Scottish spearmen stood guard. The jungle-like spears immediately inflicted heavy losses oncoming British knights, and with the trenches dug everywhere, the heavy cavalry simply did not show anything.
The English commander-in-chief, the Earl of Gloucester, then arrived for reinforcement, and he did not have time to curse Hereford for not listening to the inattention of the command, because his cavalry and the front were similar, and the young nobleman fell off his horse at one point, and if it were not for his legs and feet, he was almost caught by the Scots.
On the right flank, the British Baron Clifford and Sir Beaumont led 300 heavy cavalry to continue their advance. They made their way through the open in the direction of the castle, and soon saw a neat line of Scottish spearmen coming towards them. This is Randolph, the nephew of King Robert. The news of his uncle's axe splitting Bochum had reached Randolph's ears, and he could not resist the urge to make a contribution, and walked out of the woods with the spearmen. The Intercepted British cavalry felt very embarrassed, and the Scots gathered shoulder to shoulder and leg by leg into a dense hollow circular formation, each stretching out three or four meters long pointed spears high and low, and the gun array was like a leafy needle-piercing jungle. This was also the famous formation left by Wallace and other Scottish ancestors to their successors, the Schiltron, to restrain the famous English heavy cavalry.
(Wallace's ring spear array at the Battle of Falkirk, broken by the longbowmen)
The light impact did not shake the Scottish gun array, and the British immediately changed their tactics, constantly maneuvering around the other side, looking for an opportunity to attack at any time. Although they knew how to exercise restraint, the fact that the longbowmen failed to follow seriously plagued the English cavalry. Faced with a rock-solid array of gunfire, the British cavalry began to use their brains and abilities, and they threw the various fighting weapons they carried at each other, one-handed swords, broken armor hammers, wolf's tooth sticks, short-handled axes, and even threw their favorite riding guns, like citizens throwing rotten vegetable leaves at prisoners. How useful can this be? In addition to making Randolph and his men laugh, I am afraid that even psychological comfort will not be able to rise.
When the English knights were frustrated, Douglas, the Scottish general who had been behind, asked King Robert to attack. Soon, another Scottish gun line moved forward, and Douglas's forward came out to cover Randolph's flank. The already troubled English heavy cavalry was even more agitated. Suddenly, Randolph and the Scottish lancers shouted in unison, and the soldiers in the front row brushed their guns flat and launched a charge together. This was simply unexpected, and the British army, which had been running in circles, was caught off guard, and many cavalry were stabbed to the ground by the spears that burst in front of them. The offensive and defensive momentum changed in an instant, and the party that originally had the initiative fell into chaos. In a panic, some of the British fled back, while others headed for Strindberg. The Baron Clifford, who was leading the team, was not so lucky, lying motionless on the grass, becoming the ghost of a Scottish warrior.
The first day of fighting was enough to satisfy the Scots, not only did their king win the single head-to-head beautifully, but the gun array also exerted its power, and the warriors were more and more excited. However, no one understood that the victory of the two skirmishes did not reverse the disparity in troops, and the British did not break their bones. For Edward II, he still had a lot of cards in his hand, and there was good news coming. That night, a Scottish supply camp was raided, and Cummin's son-in-law, earl Ofar, killed all the Scottish guards. King Robert would not fail to remember this man, after all his own nephew.
The British crossed the stream at night and camped on a flat low ground between the Forth River and Bannock Ben Creek. Although the humidity here is slightly heavier and not wide, it is a good ground for cavalry compared to the woods where the Scots gather in the west. Taking advantage of the rush to move the camp, a Scottish knight under the command of the British army, Alexander Seton, came to King Robert, expressed his willingness to surrender, and claimed that "the English people were depressed" and encouraged the king to break the enemy in one fell swoop. King Robert was not sure whether the morale of the British army was really low, but he could easily see the cheerful faces of the Scottish warriors around the campfire, and the battlefield passages that were fresh in origin, so mysterious and exaggerated.
(Today, the battlefield is south of Strindberg, and the exact location is still controversial))
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="41" > the day after the Battle of Bannockburn – unexpected opening:</h1>
In the early morning of June 24, 1314, the south side of Strindberg was bustling early, and the English soldiers could easily hear the loud noise coming from the tent.
Oh, the older Earl of Hereford and the young Earl of Gloucester are still arguing, is it not true that their sleepless quarrels last night have not yet borne fruit? Isn't it just who takes the lead and who has the final say? The indescribable arrogance of the nobility and the twisted and deformed chivalry are mixed together, and it is difficult to make the grass-roots soldiers who can only nibble hard bread and sleep on the grass bunks cut their scalps.
Edward II walked out of his tent, and perhaps the clamor upset him, but only the rising sun and the fresh air could relieve all the boredom of decency. In the clearing, the soldiers were roughly in place, waiting for any order to settle down. In the distance, the woods seemed to begin to move, eh? Edward II could not but rub his eyes at once, convinced that it was the Spear Corps of the Scots advancing. What the? They took the initiative to leave the woods! What a godsend! Deep down, Edward II's thirst for honor began to churn, and today the gods must be on the side of the English, otherwise he would not have let the long-shrinking and hateful enemy stand in front of his army in a daze. Everyone understands how troublesome it is to go up the jungle mountains and catch the Scots who are sneaking around.
(The British army mainly relied on heavy cavalry and longbowmen, and the Scottish army mainly relied on spear arrays)
Looking away, the dense array of 4 teams of Scottish spearmen resembled 4 small groves, their backs against the wooded land, next to the stream, and marching on the plains to meet the British cavalry. What a familiar scene, almost the same scene during the Falkirk War. Suddenly, they stopped their pace, and then fell to their knees in groups. Edward II was surprised and sighed:
"Ah! They were begging for forgiveness! ”
"Forgiveness, yes Your Majesty." One of the attendants replied, "But that comes from God, not you." These people become benevolent if they don't succeed. ”
（ "They pray for mercy!" "For mercy, yes," one of his attendants replied, "but from God, not you. These men will conquer or die.）
(After King Robert's pre-squad impromptu speech, he entered the battle)
Without waiting for Edward II to get angry, the Earl of Gloucester, the commander-in-chief, stepped forward and asked:
"Your Majesty, we had better postpone the battle." He didn't seem to have fully recovered from the previous quarrel, and continued with a red face: "The Scots are prepared! I saw it yesterday. We'd better not go to war right away, at least today. ”
"Huh? When did you become so weak, my Earl's Highness? Edward II was rather displeased. It seemed that early this morning all he heard was some strange talk, interfering with the noise of this protracted war.
"Coward! This is total weakness! "A group of young nobles beside the king immediately responded." Attack, we should attack immediately! For the sake of the knight's reputation, yesterday's impotence must be reversed! The young knights were furious, and the Earl of Hereford was smiling in the back.
"No..." Gloucester was visibly suppressing his emotions, "Your Majesty, then at least withdraw our cavalry to the second line and let the archers break their formation first." ”
"Enough, you're really cowardly." Edward II, apparently out of patience, turned to the young knights around him and said in a loud voice:
"Gentlemen, we should attack, to deal with the enemy with a brave charge, and— now!"
"Hooray!" With the king's enthusiastic gesture, the knights and nobles cheered and clapped their fists, and everyone was eager to try.
As for Gloucester, he just bowed his head in silence and clenched his fists. Edward II glanced at him and said:
"Oh, commander-in-chief of our army, look at what you have done, isn't that treason?"
"Your Majesty!" Gloucester suddenly raised his head and blushed, his loud voice surprised Edward II and many of his courtiers.
"I have nothing to say, but I will prove my loyalty to you on the battlefield at once!"
Before the king and the generals could react, the young commander had thrown off his cloak and left, leaving only the anger in the air that had not yet dissipated.
"Boom boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom,
The Scottish Army array is complete. King Robert himself led the spearmen on the right flank, next to his brother's army, followed by the generals Douglas and Randolph. Four spear brigades were neatly arranged along the Roman ancient road, with a small number of archers in front and Keith's 500 light cavalry and infantry reserve in the rear. In contrast, the British lineup was much more luxurious. Thousands of heavy cavalry brigades are in front, various types of infantry are in the rear, and many longbowmen are deployed in the front and in the middle.
The flags of the two armies were waved, and their respective archers stepped forward to fire cover fire at the opposing lineup. The British Welsh longbowmen had the upper hand, and the poorly protected Scots were pierced by arrows and suffered a lot. Fortunately, the warriors followed King Robert for several years of hard guerrilla warfare and had long developed an unwavering style of combat. The older warriors must remember that during the Battle of Falkirk, Wallace's dense gun array was suppressed by the British longbow until it collapsed. While everyone was worried, King Robert was contemplating his countermeasures, and the Scots saw a group of cavalry on the opposite side rushing towards their own front in a daze.
"They start with a charge?" King Robert was a little surprised, and immediately ordered the teams to hold their positions and greet the British cavalry with a dense array of spears.
Who is so bold? This move was not a predetermined move by the British army, but a charge by the enraged Earl of Gloucester. Only to see the earl pegasus carrying a gun, running at full speed. His speed was so fast that the number of knights and sergeants who could follow behind him was small, and the queue seemed even more scattered.
It was like a fierce stream of water against a hard rock, and the collision was dazzling for a moment, but it had no effect. In a loud shout, the Earl of Gloucester was stabbed by the spear of The Forest without any suspense.
In the struggle, the Scottish warriors rushed up, made a warm welcome with an axe and a short sword, and cut the noble little master into meat sauce. The next few attendants did not have time to rescue him, in fact, they blamed the earl for his carelessness, not wearing the honorable and conspicuous heraldic burqa of the past, otherwise the highland warriors must have preferred to tie him up strongly for dozens of bags of gold.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="105" > officially engaged:</h1>
In a moment of anger, the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army ended his life with a suicide charge, which temporarily ended the accusations and criticisms of the Emperor and his courtiers.
At this time, the other cavalry on the right flank of the British army launched a charge one after another. Losing his rivals, the Earl of Hereford's command was significantly expanded. He let the knights ramm the front while the longbowmen continued to shoot. Edward II watched with great interest in the rear, such a large-scale confrontation is not much in Western Europe, and the taste of witnessing history is not known?
The ironclad knights and heavy cavalry took off, accelerated, got up, lowered their guns, charged, and rushed in one fell swoop, like a fierce wind sweeping up the raging waves. Heavy horses combined with long-distance acceleration, combined with sharp spears, maximize the power of traditional cavalry charge.
When the two armies met, they could only hear the metal colliding in a flash, and the people shouted horses. Looking at it, this fierce wind and waves did not tear through the highlanders' position at all. The dense spears that were more than 3 or 4 meters long were like the antlers of a man, and with length and angle, they completely offset all the advantages of the British heavy cavalry, whether it was their galloping horses or sharp riding guns.
In a frenzied onslaught, the taut muscles of the lean horses tumbled to the ground on the tip of the metal gun, and the knight either followed the hungry dog to nibble on the mud or flew into the Scottish crowd by inertia. The strong will and years of hard work forged the indomitable nature of the Highlanders, allowing them to face the waves of enemy troops without changing color, just like the stubborn rocks that have stood on the shores of the Hebrides for thousands of years and will never be defeated by strong winds and waves. And what unites them is undoubtedly King Robert, who is proud and fearless in the formation. The king did not need to borrow Pickett's ancient origins to affirm his natural rule, nor did he need to be humble to the theocracy in exchange for his own rule, he was just a man expelled from Western high society, a "king outside the law" who used strength and popular will to regain his territory. The Scottish warriors didn't mind the rhetoric, they only supported the man who could lead everyone to victory, just like the real king who had been fighting guerrillas for 8 years and driving the British out of the country.
Everyone can see that the first official British attack did not work. Edward II, of course, was in no hurry, and the thousands of Welsh longbowmen under his command were not vases. The powerful longbow long-range salvo was enough to crush Wallace's proud gun array, destroy the powerful assault of the French knights, and even go to the desert of Jerusalem to show its killing effect.
"Archer ~ winding... shoot! "
In the piercing roar, the arrows broke through the air like rain. After several rounds of cover shots, the Scottish gun line did not waver as scheduled. Why did the cavalry charge and the longbow salvo fail? Only to see King Robert in command, the front team of soldiers have taken out shields, covering the comrades around them. Falkirk's blood had taught them much. For enemy cavalry, according to the later military historian Charles Oman, in this kind of gun array, the front row of soldiers kneeling with spears and fixing the end of the gun into the dirt; the rear row of soldiers raised their spears on the heads of their comrades; the dense spears in the front and rear rows formed a 12-foot-long (about 3.6 meters) gun forest, making the cavalry completely impenetrable. For enemy archers, they "lock their shields in front of them to form an indestructible phalanx." For melee melee, they "carried axes with them and spears in their hands, and marched like stout hedges." ”
Needless to say, the Scottish, who had undergone rigorous training and combat training, no longer spoke lightly of rout. Faced with such a difficult situation, Edward II still had great confidence in his command. Compared with the lives of the Scottish thieves, their own arrows can be supplied in unlimited quantities, can the number of Scottish troops exceed the number of feathers and arrows in the quivers of the longbowmen? However, there were discordant voices from the front. It seemed that the knights who were fighting the Scottish gun array were annoyed by the rain of arrows. After all, those tall figures on horseback not only blocked the archery range, but also very easily injured by arrows flying from behind.
"Your Majesty, the forward of our army is glued to the enemy soldiers!" If you don't stop shooting, I'm afraid the accidental injury will continue to expand! The generals who saw the battle could not hold back.
Edward II was furious, "Stupid! Stop the fools immediately. Damn, they have no brains? Ah, what a fool' errand, wouldn't they move their butts out of the nest? ”
The Earl of Hereford, who was nearby, was deeply impressed, and hurried forward: "Your Majesty is really wise, and the minister has arranged this!" ”
As the Scottish lance gradually pushed back the British forward cavalry, it continued to move forward step by step. The Earl of Hereford's chance did come. He immediately ordered the Welsh longbowmen to turn to the flanks. In the passing of the flag, a large group of experienced archers drew their bows and arrows, gathered in groups and ran quickly to the right.
The British shooters, well-deserved, did not take much time to redeploy to the flank of the front and line up again. With a shout of command, countless longbows began to wind up arrows, outputting a rain of death arrows. Although the Scottish gun arrays were more defensive than in the past, the warriors focused mainly on frontal mounting, where there was room to block the dense arrows flying in the distance.
At the sound of the bowstring, the strong pull of more than 100 pounds catapulted out nearly a meter of feathered arrows with sharp arrows, easily penetrating the Scots' lock armor, leather armor and flesh and blood that it touched. To facilitate shooting, Welsh and English archers inserted their arrows at their feet and used them as they pleased. The chronicler wrote: "The British archers fired so fast that it would be very difficult for the Scots if their shooting continued. In fact, the British archers did not like explosive rapid shooting, and their 6-arrow salvo per minute was enough to destroy the will of any ordinary infantry for a short time.
In the rain of arrows, the Scottish warriors either raised their shields or raised their spears, and from time to time someone fell down with a muffled sound. In the shouts, they leaned shoulder to shoulder, and no one turned around and fled. Will Falkirk's doom repeat itself? Now that King Robert's situation is the same as that of his own role model Wallace, should he be happy or worried. At that time, Cummin's Scottish cavalry turned their backs on Wallace and retreated. Now, King Robert's soldiers rose from top to bottom in the wild grass and wild, fought in the hills of their hometown, and forged them into steel tough men after eight years of bitter fighting against the invaders.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="106" > between winning and losing:</h1>
With one heart and one mind, where King Robert raised his whip, Sir Keith led 500 cavalry to attack at once. It turned out that the Scots had already had a countermeasure against the British tactics, and they did not invest in valuable cavalry for a long time, waiting for the archers who specialized in serving each other.
Shouting and rushing, the Scottish cavalry quickly cut into the Group of British archers, slashing with bayonets, and the unprepared longbowmen were like chopping melons and chopping vegetables. The British archers, who had just been full of ambition, were suddenly in a mess. Almost immediately lost morale. The Scottish cavalry was lightly armed and was well suited to this pursuit. They slashed the British longbowmen from behind like chickens, or directly charged and trampled. The British screamed and fled, but who would help them? The heavy cavalry and the Scottish gun array were inseparable from the fight, the infantry brigade could not save the near fire after slow movement, and it seemed that the british army could not draw mobile troops for a while. Ah, once upon a time people needed to cut off the fingers of the grasping longbowmen, but now it is much more convenient to simply cut them into two pieces.
Edward II's expression stiffened when he received the news, and thousands of longbowmen had died or fled, completely incapacitated. The Earl of Hereford was equally stunned, and he could only make a desperate bet to continue the charge of the heavy cavalry, and if he could break the front of the Scottish army, the situation could still be saved. The generals whispered, the seasoned Count Valence felt bad, the Battle of Lauton Hill had not worked on its own, and it had always been painful, and it seemed that it was about to repeat the same mistakes at the moment; the Dagendan knights did not speak, and the actual experience of the Knights Hospitaller's crusade told him that the prospects were not promising.
Although the Scottish gun line continued to press forward, the British knights could not help but regroup and charge again. Pulling away, from the knight to the horse, all the strength, starting, accelerating, impacting. "Boom," a cacophony of rumbles, a shouting and hissing, and the failure was repeated again. Even their mounted guns still couldn't reach the Scots. The wounded warhorse screamed and hissed, the rider was torn off the saddle by the highland warriors, and the strongest and most luxurious armor was useless. The scene almost changed to a flesh-and-blood operation in a slaughterhouse, not like a battle of equal strength.
(Large historical mural by Scottish artist Chris Rutterford depicting the Battle of Bannockburn)
Under the banner, King Robert's orders ran toward the teams,
"Attack, keep going!"
The command in each warrior's ear was equally clear, and it was the voice in their hearts that had been suppressed for many years shouting in unison, "Go ahead, Scotland!" ”
Yes, for more than ten years, it was left and right by the British, squeezed like cattle and horses, slaughtered like pigs and dogs, and hidden like rats and finches. Enough was enough, and now the Scottish warriors were going to return everything to the invaders. The lightly armored warriors flattened their spears and marched intact toward the enemy position, the terrified British heavy cavalry avoided them, and many short hand-to-hand combat occurred one after another. Noble knights in strong armor were stabbed under their horses by the spears of Scottish civilian soldiers, and then killed by the nail-headed hammer can opener or the short sword blade that cut through the gap in the armor.
Edward II was becoming more and more anxious, and he may have wanted to throw large groups of infantry into battle, but the situation was becoming more and more difficult to control. The heavy cavalry at the forefront were pressed by the Scottish guns, squeezing and retreating without strength. What does it mean for cavalry to lose maneuver space? Looking back, I only saw the crowds, and I found that all the muddy rivers and beaches were there; the formed archers were already mostly reimbursed, and the support firepower could not be counted on; the rear infantry had many empty numbers, but they could only stare at the air and rush, and could not even do it with reinforcements and replacements. Compared with the Scottish several phalanxes pressed across the board, the british troops became chaotic, and the generals saw the unfavorable situation with their own eyes, and the fear in their hearts could not help but spread rapidly. Sometimes, the number of people does not only bring momentum, but also makes the military's distraction unmanageable. The banks and swamps of the Bannock River, which were not originally a natural danger, had now become a huge obstacle to the British army and restrict them.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="107" > army rout:</h1>
"Quick! Let Your Majesty transfer! ”
The tide was over, and counts of Valence and others forcibly dragged the still-terrified Edward II out of the battlefield. The Dagendan knights clung to the reins of the king's mount and desperately fled in the direction of Strindberg. Because if the King were to be captured, I am afraid that all of Europe would come to the bottom of the well, after all, edward with long legs treated his Scottish neighbors in this way. Seeing 500 royal knights guarding Edward II's temporary escape, Dagendan stopped his horse and said politely to the terrified king:
"Your Majesty, it is my duty to protect you. Now your castle (Strindberg) keeps you safe and sound, so I need to say goodbye to you. Because I'm not used to running away from battle, and I won't be now. ”
（Sire, your rein was entrusted to me; there is your castle [Stirling] where your body will be safe. I am not accustomed to flee, and I have no intention of doing so now.）
Without waiting for Edward II to ease, Dagendan turned his horse's head and turned back toward the battlefield.
The King and his generals, who had just emerged from danger, were stunned as they watched as the famous knight, alone, charged at the Scottish Spear Array with his gun. Like the later Don Quixote, Dagendan fell off his horse without any suspense and never had a chance to get back on his feet.
(The knight on the left is Dugendan and the Right is the Earl of Gloucester, another historical version of the depiction)
The defeat of the British army thus ended with a tragic knight charge, just as it began with an absurd knight charge.
The Scots had not yet caught up, and Edward II easily escaped to the door of Strindberg, only to see the door closed. De Mowbray, who was guarding the city, shouted at the head of the city:
"Go quickly, Your Majesty, we have all seen it. The castle is about to fall into Scottish hands, and if you don't want to be captured, it's too late to escape. ”
Without even the strength to curse, Edward II did not dare to delay for a moment and fled to the coast at full speed, and finally boarded the ship at Dunbar.
In addition to the bloody battlefield full of corpses, the heavy losses of the British army were also manifested in the retreat. The cowardly Scottish farmer townspeople suddenly jumped out and killed many of the fallen British deserters. The seeds planted by the long-legged king made the English people swallow the bitter fruit themselves.
In the whole battle, on the side of the nobles alone, more than 22 british vassals were killed, and more than 21 nobles were captured alive in exchange for ransom, including the active Earl of Hereford. On the side of the knights and sergeants, a total of about 700 people were killed and 500 were captured. The rear infantry was even more miserable. Historians said: "Even if a third of the infantry returned to Britain, it seemed questionable." "This means that the number of ordinary infantry deaths has reached more than 10,000. The Scottish Army, on the other hand, paid only 2 knights killed and not serious soldier losses.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="108" > double-king ending:</h1>
The great cause of the British king's struggle for world domination was finally paid for by his soldiers and ordinary people, what will happen to him? Civil unrest, famine ensued. After 14 years of suffering, the british, who could not hold on, were forced to formally recognize Scotland as not a vassal and as a completely independent country as it had been in the past.
Unfortunately, Edward II did not wait for the day when peace came. His father's legacy was squandered by him, and after Ben's defeat, he suffered a famine that had not been seen in a hundred years. It was hard to defeat the Lancastrian rebellion, but the French wife could no longer bear it, and the 14-year-old son was nearing adulthood. Just a year before the peace treaty was signed, Edward II was forced to abdicate by his French wives and ministers. Stepping down in tears did not save him from his bleak end. How long has Gaviston been dead? The absurd time spent together is afraid that the deposed emperor will be remembered again and again, and after writing a sincere lament poem in the iron window, Edward II died in captivity inexplicably. Although it is unlikely that a red-hot soldering iron will be stabbed through the anus and scream to death, as the anecdotal rumors have come, what will happen to a king who has lost his authority?
The Battle of Bannockburn has undoubtedly become an indelible monument in Scottish history. After that, King Robert captured Strindberg and personally rescued his wife and daughter, allowing Scotland to completely expel the invaders and burn the war to England and Ireland. He used his excellent military ability to complete that difficult journey for Wallace and many heroes.
(Scene of military fan recovery activities)
The moss-covered rocky mountains, which had witnessed the high warriors resisting the Roman phalanx and the raids of the Vikings, now left behind a valuable experience of resistance to defeat the hegemony of England. A simple truth that is clear to the world has been proved countless times -
Where there is oppression, there is resistance.
Where there is oppression, there is resistance.
(Thank you for watching, and insist on providing high-quality original historical texts for everyone.) The picture comes from the Internet, invaded and deleted. ）
Related Links:
Scotland's Road to Resistance against Britain – The History Behind Braveheart and King Of The Extrajudicials (Part 1)
Scotland's Road to The British Resistance – The History Behind Braveheart and The King Of The Extrajudicial (Part 2)
bibliography:
Bannockburn 1314: a new history
Bannockburn: the Scottish War and the British Isles
Bannockburn: the story of the battle
Robert Bruce and the community of the Realm of Scotland
A Baronial Family in Medieval England