Page 81 - All About History - Issue 16-14

Braveheart’s battle

back – the battle was now Tweng was the only knight
imminent. He urged to escape with his life.
Essential patience to his men, “The English Amid the carnage, De
Wallace figures commanding his as the Scots raged Moray, who had been
were cut to pieces
troops crouched on
commanding the
1,600 get going, to rein in forward, pushing their continue pressing on. It
northern Scots, was
the hillside, eager to
seriously wounded,
but Wallace was
their blood lust until
getting stuck in,
enough Englishmen
rivals back toward
urging his troops to
had crossed.
the river”
Eventually, as the
hours ticked by, around
caused panic among the
5,400 English and Welsh
English, who had thought
infantry as well as some the battle would be a mere
In 1296, this number of Scotland’s leading nobles
swore loyalty to Edward I. Wallace did not. cavalry had made their way formality. Unused to what they
saw as savagery by an untrained
across the river. Before they could army, they were trying to retreat as best they
1300 Wallace gave the word. could but soon found themselves completely
even begin to advance forward in order, though,
The Scots’ spearmen charged from their
and utterly surrounded.
Surrey, who had not crossed the bridge, was
advantageous position on the lower slopes of
aghast. He ordered the rest of his men, some
the Ochil Hills, down toward the unprepared
fire to prevent the Scots from getting across and
the bridge, cutting it off and preventing more
English from crossing. Surrey’s hope that his
inflicting further damage. The battle continued
The year the king of France wrote to his English cavalry. One Scottish group went toward 5,000 more, to retreat. The bridge was set on
envoys in Rome demanding that they should bowmen would be able to take their positions for not much longer than an hour, with screams,
help Wallace, leading some to believe he had
personally visited the French king. was destroyed since they had yet to get over the shouts, and the clash of metal piercing through
bridge. The Scots were nullifying them. Another the air, the looming presence of Stirling Castle
group of Scots went down the other wing and behind them as a reminder that a natural
a large group went into the middle. As the fortress could be just as impenetrable as a man-
horses were skewered and the knights fell to the made one. The remaining Englishmen took
ground, the blood began to mix with the cold flight to Berwick with those lagging behind
and clear water in the Scottish river. captured or killed.
The English were cut to pieces as the Scots Surrey escaped unharmed, but the
The amount of places parts raged forward, pushing their rivals back toward same couldn’t be said of his reputation. De
of his dead body were the river. The English troops were separated Cressingham had been one of the first to cross
displayed – his head was
placed on London Bridge into much smaller groups by the thrust of the north and he fell during his attempt to escape,
and his limbs were put Scots, making it even easier to cut them cut through by a Lochaber axe. The Scots took
on show in Perth, Stirling, down. Many troops fell in the his body away where it was flayed and the skin
Berwick and Newcastle.
water and drowned and only cut into small pieces. Wallace took a broad strip
Wallace was first a small number managed of De Cressingham’s skin and used it to make a
to swim successfully back
baldrick for his sword.
named in English
chronicles in this 1297 to the other side. William Wallace had secured a great victory.
year, following Sir Marmaduke It was the first time the Scottish had defeated
the murder the English in a significant battle since the Dark
of the English
sheriff of Lanark. Ages. The freedom for which Wallace strived
was still a long way off, though, and there would
be more battles and challenges to come. As he
The number of
villages in the north stood there, exhausted and triumphant on the
of England burnt by battlefield, he pushed thoughts of the future
Wallace and his men out of his mind. For now, he would savour
following their victory © Look & Learn/Alamy/Corbis
715 at Stirling Bridge. the taste of a victory that once more made a
nation dream – and perhaps even believe –
that it could achieve freedom once again.
Feudal system introduced Allegiance to England Treaty of York Treaty of Perth Claims of independence
David I becomes king and rules The Treaty of Falaise is signed by Alexander II of Scotland and An agreement between Scotland The Scottish Wars of
until 1153. His reign is referred to as the captive Scottish King William Henry II of England set new and Norway ends conflict and Independence are sparked thanks
the Davidian Revolution because I and King Henry II. It states that boundaries for Scotland. Scotland recognises Scottish sovereignty to numerous factors, not least the
he founds burghs, monasteries, Scotland is to be subordinate to ceases claiming hereditary rights over the Hebrides and the Isle of granting of the Scottish throne to
feudalism and the Normanisation the English crown. to Northumberland, Cumberland Man. Norway is given sovereignty John Balliol. It leads to the rise of
of the Scottish government. 1124 1174 and Westmorland. 1237 over Shetland and Orkney. 1266 William Wallace. 1292

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