Edward makes peace in England but meets disaster in Scotland!

In the second half of 1312 a number of factors conspired to prevent the widely predicted outbreak of civil war in England. Firstly, the king’s finances were in dire straits and in war, the victor is often the one who is able to outspend his opponents.

Another consideration that discouraged both parties from conflict was the fact that the chief beneficiaries would be the Scots. Something that neither the barons, nor Edward and his loyalists, wanted to happen. Nevertheless, tensions continued to simmer.

However, although he was now dead, Edward was still preoccupied with Gaveston. Arrangements had to be made for the late Earl’s funeral. Obviously this would have to be a grand affair, but as he was excommunicated by Archbishop Winchelsea, it could not as yet take place in a church. Edward would have to petition the Pope to have the excommunication annulled in order for the requiem mass to go ahead. This would take time, in fact until early 1315, and in the meantime much would come to pass.

‘Pleasant interlude!

An end to this most damaging feud!’

Firstly, glad tidings came about with the birth of a son to Edward and Queen Isabella in November 1312. Edward now had a male heir, which would avoid any problem over the line of succession after his death. Then in October 1313, due to the intercession of the Pope and the King of France and partly on the advice of Queen Isabella, he reached a rapprochement with the barons.

Queen Isabella

Another bonus was that Edward had managed to arrange for his friend, Walter Reynolds to replace the hated Winchelsea as Archbishop of Canterbury.

‘For Edward, the future looked bright!

But little did he know that he was in for one hell of a fight!’

Scotland and the Battle of Bannockburn.

Robert Bruce had taken advantage of the feud in England to extend his rule in Scotland. He had captured many English castles, so that by 1314 only Berwick and Sterling remained  loyal to the English crown. Worse still, was that Bruce had begun to plunder northern England, and the people of Durham had felt compelled to pay him to leave them in peace.

Bobby Bruce.

It was Edward’s intention to reverse this unwelcome development.

‘North of the border, along Bobby Bruce’s way!

The flower of Scotland, Edward intends to slay!’

In June 1314 Edward, at the head of a huge well-equipped army, was in Scotland with the initial objective of rescuing Sterling castle which was being besieged by the Scots. Bruce was waiting for him at a village called Bannockburn.

Edward was confident of victory because he was aware that the Scottish army was so much smaller than his own. However, the battle which commenced on June 23rd was a test case in farcical leadership and as a result, a huge military disaster for the English. Early in the battle, a young English knight, Henry de Bohun saw Bruce riding in front of his men. If Bruce were to be killed now, then the Scots would lose heart and the field would belong to the English. The impetuous young knight charged Bruce singlehandedly, but the canny old Scottish warrior manoeuvred his mount to one side and killed de Bohun with an axe blow to the head.

Robert Bruce kills Henry de Bohun.

Afterwards, Robert Bruce remarked:

‘A darn good start!

But I have broken my favourite axe shaft!’

Unfortunate perhaps, but there were to be compensations!

There was no coordinated leadership on the English side and the battle became a massacre, with the English being pushed back into a gorge. Indeed, so many sons of England died there that it is claimed that the Scots could cross the gorge without getting their feet wet. It was an enormous victory for the Scots and showed how a smaller army could defeat a much larger force.

Defeated and humiliated, Edward fled the field and sought refuge at Sterling castle. There, further humiliation awaited him. The garrison, realising that all was lost, were preparing to surrender to Robert Bruce. Edward was refused entry because this would prejudice the terms of surrender that they could expect from the Scottish king. The main priority of the garrison was survival and that meant not upsetting Bobby Bruce!

‘As Edward rode up to the castle walls, he was greeted from the battlements by a sentry!

The man shouted ‘sorry sire, but to you, tis a case of absolutely no entry!’

A stunned Edward remarked: to have this said to a king at his own castle gate!

Has any other monarch ever met with such a horrible, terrible fate?’

To be denied entry to your castle garrisoned by royal personnel was an embarrassment suffered by very few sovereigns. Eventually Edward, with his pride shattered, fled south to Berwick. He would now have to face the English barons in the aftermath of what should have been a great victory, but what in fact turned out to be a shameful defeat.