STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE.
_The Regency_ (1)--_the Interregnum_ (2)--_Council at
Norham_ (3)--_Edward's decision_ (4)--_John_ (5)--_his
coronation_ (6)--_French alliance_ (7)--_Edward's first
conquest_ (8)--_English government_ (9)--_Wallace's
revolt_ (10)--_surrender at Irvine_ (11)--_battle of
Stirling_ (12)--_battle of Falkirk_ (13)--_capture of
Wallace_ (14)--_attempted union_ (15)--_Bruce's revolt_
(16)--_his coronation_ (17)--_Edward's proposed revenge_
(18)--_Bruce's struggles_ (19)--_battle of Bannockburn_
(20)--_results of the victory_ (21)--_Bruce's comrades_
(22)--_summary_ (23).
=1. Margaret, 1286-90. The Regency.=--Within a month from _Alexander's_
death the _Estates_ met at _Scone_, and appointed six regents to govern
the kingdom for _Margaret_, the _Maiden of Norway_, a child of three
years old, who, on the death of her grandfather Alexander, succeeded to
the throne. Three of these regents were for the old kingdom, the land
north of the _Scots Water_, and three for Lothian with Galloway. This
division seems to show that the different tenure of these provinces
was still understood and acted on. The _Scots_ of the original Celtic
kingdom and the _Englishmen_ of _Lothian_ still kept aloof from one
another. In the meantime _Robert Bruce_, a _Norman_ baron whose
forefathers had settled in _Annandale_ in the twelfth century, made
an attempt to seize the crown by force. He laid claim to it by right
of his descent from _Isabella_, the second daughter of _David_ Earl of
Huntingdon, brother of _William the Lion_, and appealed to _Edward the
First_ of England as over-lord to support him in his supposed right.
At the same time other appeals against him were made by the seven
_Earls of Scotland_, by _Fraser_ bishop of St. Andrews, and by the
_Community_. Edward did not encourage Bruce, but on the contrary he
agreed to the proposal of the Estates that the _Lady Margaret_ should
be married to his eldest son _Edward_. By the treaty of _Brigham_,
in 1290, this agreement was accepted by the Clergy, Nobility, and
Community of Scotland. This treaty provided that the rights and
liberties of Scotland should remain untouched; that no native of
Scotland was to be called on to do homage or to answer for any crime
beyond the Border; in short, that Scotland was to keep all the rights
and liberties which belong to a distinct national life. This union, if
it had been carried out, would have been the best possible settlement
for both kingdoms, but it was prevented by the death of the _Maid of
Norway_ on her way to _Scotland_, in one of the _Orkneys_, September
1290. Edward had himself sent a ship handsomely fitted out to fetch
home the Maid.
=2. Interregnum, 1290-92.=--_Margaret_ was the last of the legitimate
descendants of William the Lion. The new King had to be sought among
the heirs of William's brother _David, Earl of Huntingdon_. David had
left three daughters, _Margaret_, _Isabella_, and _Ada_, and they
being dead were represented by their nearest heirs,--Margaret by her
grandson _John Balliol_, Isabella by her son _Robert Bruce_, and Ada
by her son _John Hastings_. Besides these there were a host of smaller
claimants whose pretensions were quite untenable; but there was one
other who, though his claim was very shadowy, was first in power and
position among the claimants. This was _Florence, Count of Holland_,
the great-great-grandson of _Ada_, the daughter of David's son Henry,
who was to have had Ross as her dowry. _Bruce_, supported by his son,
by _James the Steward_ and by other nobles, made a bond with Florence
by which each pledged himself, in case he got the kingdom, to give
the other a third of it. Edward, as over-lord, was appealed to to
settle the matter, as it was feared by the regents that _Robert Bruce_
would seize the crown by force, and all the competitors seem to have
acknowledged Edward's right of superiority.
=3. Council at Norham.=--Edward accordingly summoned his barons,
amongst whom most of the claimants could be reckoned, to meet him in a
council at _Norham_, on the northern side of the _Tweed_, in June 1291,
to decide this important case. The real contest lay between _Bruce_
and _Balliol_. Bruce, Balliol, and indeed nearly all the claimants,
were Norman barons holding lands of Edward. The family of Bruce came
originally from the _Côtentin_ and had been settled in _Yorkshire_ by
William the Conqueror, towards the end of his reign. David, who had
granted to them the great tract of _Annandale_, had also granted to the
_Balliols_ a manor in _Berwick_. Bruce's plea was that, though he was
the child of a younger sister, still his right was better than that of
Balliol, as he was one degree nearer their common forefather, and he
brought forward many precedents to prove that in such a case nearness
in degree was to be preferred to seniority.
=4. Edward's Decision.=--Edward decided with perfect justice, according
to the ideas of modern law, that _Balliol_, as the grandson of the
eldest daughter, had the best right to the throne. In early times in
Scotland no one would have thought of doubting Bruce's claim as next
in degree. As Edward refused to divide the dominions among the heirs
of the three daughters, it is clear that he looked on Scotland as a
dependent kingdom, and not as an ordinary fief, which would have
been shared among the three rivals. Judgment was given at _Berwick_,
November 1292, eighteen months after the first meeting of the council.
During this time the government had been nominally in the hands of the
guardians of the kingdom; but Edward had the strongholds, twenty-three
in number, in his own hands, and seems to have looked upon the two
countries as really united. At the end of the suit he gave up the
strongholds, and by so doing showed that he meant to act fairly.
=5. John, 1292-96. Policy of Edward.=--The great scheme of Edward's
life was to unite Britain under one government, of which he himself
was to be the head. He had already added to England the dependent
principality of Wales. Hitherto his actions towards Scotland had been
perfectly fair and upright. In placing John Balliol, the rightful
heir, on the throne, he was doing no more than had been done by the
King of England, acting as over-lord, in the cases of Malcolm Canmore
and Eadgar: but his way of placing him there was not strictly just;
the conditions which he required were such as he had no right to
exact, nor John to accept. He made him do homage for his kingdom as
though it had been an English fief. Now, though this was true as far
as concerned Lothian, and partly true as concerned Strathclyde, as
concerned Scotland it was untrue. Although Scotland had, since 924,
been in some degree subject to the King of England, this dependence
was no more than was implied by the "commendation," the very natural
relation of the weaker to the stronger. But it must be remembered that
three centuries had passed since that first commendation, and in that
time the original simplicity of the feudal tenure had been altogether
changed and in great measure forgotten. Edward looked on the three
parts of Scotland as fiefs, and therefore subject to the same burthens
as his other fiefs; the Scots knew that they were not thus subject,
and they therefore argued that their kingdom was in no way dependent
on England: thus both parties were partly right and partly wrong. Even
the amount of dependence implied in the original commendation had, in
the last reign, been refused by the Scottish King, and had not been
insisted on by the English one. But John Balliol was weak and foolish,
while Edward was wise, strong, and determined to rule the whole country
indirectly through his submissive vassal.
=6. Coronation of John.=--John was duly crowned and enthroned on the
Stone of Destiny, after which he renewed his homage to Edward, in
1292. He then summoned the Estates at _Scone_. This was the first
meeting of the Estates which was called a _parliament_. John was not
popular with his subjects, who looked on him as a tool in the hands of
Edward. Before many months had passed _Roger Bartholomew_, a burgess
of Berwick, being dissatisfied with a decision given against him in
Scotland, appealed to Edward, who named a council at _Newcastle_ to
hear the case. This was a direct violation of the treaty of Brigham,
and Edward obliged John to sign a discharge and renunciation of this
treaty and of any other document then in existence which might call
in question his superiority. Another appeal was made a few months
afterwards against the decision of the Estates by a Scot of the old
kingdom, _Macduff_, the grand-uncle of the Earl of Fife, and this was
followed by appeals respecting the lands of the houses of _Bruce_
and _Douglas_. John was summoned to appear before the Parliament of
England, was voted a contumacious vassal, and commanded to give up
the three principal strongholds of his kingdom into the hands of his
over-lord till he should give satisfaction.
=7. French Alliance.=--In 1294 war broke out between France and
England, and John, with the nobles and commons of his kingdom,
entered into an alliance for mutual defence with _Eric of Norway_ and
_Philip of France_ against Edward. This was the beginning of the
foreign policy maintained in Scotland for several centuries, until
the _Reformation_, when religious sympathy got the better of national
hatred, and Roman Catholic France became more dreaded than Protestant
England. In compliance with this treaty a Scottish army crossed the
Border and swept and wasted the northern counties.
=8. Edward's first Conquest.=--Edward's dealings with Scotland now
became those of a conqueror instead of a protector. The Scots had,
without gainsaying, acknowledged his supremacy. It was the appeal of
Scottish subjects which had tempted him to extend the incidents of
that supremacy beyond legal limits, and now it was the Scots who began
the war, and thus gave Edward the excuse, for which he was waiting,
for conquering their country. He at once marched northwards with a
great army, and besieged and took _Berwick_, a large and wealthy
trading town. Provoked by the resistance and insults of the citizens,
the King wreaked a fearful vengeance on them, and Berwick was reduced
to the rank of a common market-town. While he was at Berwick, John's
renunciation of fealty was sent to him by the party of independence,
who were keeping their King in custody lest he should repent and
submit. When Edward had secured Berwick, he marched to _Dunbar_, took
the castle, and then went on to _Edinburgh_. He there took up his
quarters in _Holyrood_, laid siege to the castle, took it, seized
the crown jewels, and then passed on to _Perth_, taking possession
of _Stirling_ on the way. To crush out all idea of an independent
kingdom, and to let the people see that they were conquered, he
carried off from _Scone_ the _Stone of Destiny_, with which the fate
of the Scottish monarchy was supposed to be mystically joined. This
stone was removed to _Westminster_, and was placed under the seat of
the coronation-chair. He also took with him the _Holy Rood_ of Queen
Margaret, and obliged all the nobles who submitted to him to swear
allegiance on this much valued relic. Edward did not go further north
than _Elgin_, and he returned to Berwick in 1296, having marched all
through Scotland in twenty-one weeks. All the nobles and prelates did
personal homage to him. John submitted himself to Edward's pleasure,
and was degraded and dispossessed. He was then sent as a prisoner to
England, was afterwards made over to the keeping of the Bishop of
Vicenza, the Pope's representative, and at last he retired to his
own estates in _Picardy_, where he died in 1315. Edward treated his
kingdom as a fief forfeited by the treason of the vassal who held it.
This notion of the thirteenth century, that the fief was forfeited by
treason, would not have occurred to anyone in the tenth century, when
probably John would only have been deposed, and some one else set up in
his stead. The seizure of Normandy from John of England by Philip of
France was a case of the same kind, and quite as unprecedented.
=9. English Government.=--Edward at once took measures for joining
Scotland on as an integral part of the English kingdom. He took care
that the strongholds should be commanded and garrisoned by persons
without any Scottish connexion. He appointed _John, Earl of Warrenne
and Surrey_, Guardian, _Hugh of Cressingham_, Treasurer, and _Ormsby_,
Justiciar of the kingdom; sent them forms of writs to be used in the
re-granting of lands; took measures for the establishment of _Courts
of Chancery_ and _Exchequer_ at _Berwick_, and summoned a council of
merchants to consider the best measures for the future conduct of the
trade and commerce of the country. Cressingham was enjoined to raise
all the money he could, for the maintenance of internal peace and
order, and to put down the wicked rebels, homicides, and disturbers of
the peace, who swarmed all over the land.
=10. Wallace's Revolt.=--The Celts in the North looked on this change
in the government with apathy. To them it probably made little
difference who sat on the Scottish throne, and Edward had not entered
their district. The Norman nobles quietly agreed to it, for they were
afraid of losing their estates in England. But it roused a spirit
of defiance and opposition where resistance was least to be looked
for, among the Lowlanders. They were the descendants of the earliest
Teutonic settlers, and had remained more purely English in blood and
speech than their kinsfolk on the southern side of the Border. This
latent feeling of discontent gradually ripened into rebellion, and
the standard of revolt was raised by _William Wallace_, a native
of Clydesdale, who, unlike most of his countrymen, had not sworn
allegiance to Edward. He surprised and cut to pieces the English
garrison at _Lanark_, and slew _William Haselrig_, the newly appointed
sheriff of _Ayr_. This outbreak was followed by similar attacks on
detached bodies of the troops in occupation. His little band of
followers gradually attracted more, and at length they surprised the
_Justiciar Ormsby_, while holding a court at _Scone_, and, though he
escaped out of their hands, they secured both prisoners and booty.
_Anthony Beck_, Bishop of Durham, was next attacked in _Glasgow_, and
forced to flee. After these successes Wallace was joined by _William of
Douglas_, a renowned soldier, and by _Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick_,
grandson of the original claimant of the crown.
=11. Surrender at Irvine.=--But there was a want of system and of unity
of purpose in the nation, and this noble effort on the part of the
people was not seconded by the nobles. A large army under Henry, Lord
Percy, was sent by Edward to put down the rising; those of the nobles
who had joined the popular movement deserted it, and renewed their
allegiance to Edward at _Irvine_, July 1297. But when Edward, who
believed the revolt to be completely crushed, was absent in Flanders,
Wallace mustered the people of the Lowlands north of the Tay and made
himself master of the strongholds in that district.
=12. Battle of Stirling.=--The English army was now hastening northward
under Cressingham and Warrenne, Earl of Surrey. Wallace resolved to
give them battle on the Carse of Stirling, a level plain, across which
the river Forth winds in and out among the meadows like the links of a
silver chain. Wallace showed his skill as a general by the choice of
the ground on which he posted his men. He drew them up within one of
the links of the river, which swept round in front between them and
the English, while a steep rocky hill, called the Abbey Craig, rose
right behind them and protected the rear. The English had to cross the
river by a narrow bridge. Wallace waited till half of them were over,
and then attacked them. Taken thus at a disadvantage, they were easily
routed. The panic spread to those on the opposite bank, who fled in
disorder. In this action, called the _Battle of Stirling_, which was
fought September 11, 1297, Cressingham was slain, and Surrey was forced
to retreat to Berwick. After this victory the Scots recovered the
strongholds south of the Forth, and Wallace acted as _Guardian_ of the
kingdom in the name of King John, and with the consent of the commons.
Unhappily the Scots were not content with driving out the invaders, but
carried the war over the Border, and wasted the northern counties of
England with all the fierceness and cruelty of brigands.
=13. Battle of Falkirk.=--Edward returned from Flanders and raised a
large army for the subjection of Scotland, promising pardon to all
vagrants and malefactors who would enlist in it. The King himself led
the army. The Scots wasted the country and retreated before him through
the Lothians; and Wallace, who knew well the weakness of his own
force, tried to avoid a battle till the great army of Edward should be
exhausted from want of food. But tidings were brought to Edward that
Wallace was near Falkirk, and he marched northward in haste and forced
his enemy to give battle. At Stirling Wallace had won the day by his
happy choice of the ground; he now showed still greater skill by the
way in which he drew up his little army. It was made up for the most
part of footmen, who at that time were held of no account as soldiers.
The genius of Wallace found out how they might be made even more
formidable than the mounted men-at-arms, in whom at that time it was
supposed that the strength of an army lay. He drew them up in circular
masses; the spearmen without and the bowmen within. The spearmen with
lances fixed knelt down in ranks, so that the archers within could
shoot over their heads. When his men were thus placed, Wallace said
to them, "I have brought ye to the ring--hop gif ye can;" that is,
show how well you can fight. But, though they fought well and held
their ground bravely, and the English horse were driven back by the
spear-points, the Scots were at last beaten down by force of numbers,
and the English won the day, 1298. After this victory Edward returned
to _Carlisle_, and Wallace resigned the _Guardianship_. Edward held
the country south of the Forth, but the northern Lowlands seem to have
maintained their independence until the spring of 1303, when Edward
marched north at the head of a great army and again subdued the whole
country. He made _Dunfermline_, the favourite seat of the Scottish
court, his head-quarters. _Stirling Castle_ alone, under _Olifant_ the
valiant governor, held out for three months, but when it was taken the
lives of the garrison were spared. All the leaders in the late rising
were left unharmed in life, liberty, or estate, with the exception of
_William Wallace_. He was required to submit unconditionally to the
King's grace.
=14. Capture of Wallace.=--Wallace had been on the Continent ever
since the battle of Falkirk. He now came back and was betrayed by his
servant _Jack Short_ to Sir John Menteith, governor for Edward in
_Dunbarton Castle_, and was sent by him to London. He was there tried,
by a special commission, for treason and rebellion against Edward. He
pleaded in his own defence that he had never sworn fealty to Edward.
In spite of this he was found guilty, condemned to death, and hanged,
drawn, and quartered according to the barbarous practice which was then
coming into use in England. His head was stuck up on _London Bridge_,
and the four parts of his body were sent to _Newcastle_, _Berwick_,
_Stirling_, and _Perth_, by way of frightening the people from such
attempts in future.
=15. Attempted Union.=--Edward then set to work to complete the union
of the two kingdoms. In the meantime Scotland was to be governed by
a _Lieutenant_ aided by a council of barons and churchmen. It was to
be represented in the English parliament by _ten deputies_,--_four
churchmen_, _four barons_, and _two_ members of the _commons_, _one_
for the country _north_ of the _Firths_, _one_ for the _south_. These
members attended one parliament at Westminster, and an ordinance was
issued for the government of Scotland. _John of Bretayne_ was named
_Lieutenant_ for the King; justices and sheriffs were appointed; the
strongholds were put under governors for the King, and an inquiry was
ordered into the state of the laws in order to take measures for their
amendment. Edward's policy in all this was to win favour with the
people and the members of the council, although many of them, such as
_Bruce_ and _Wishart, Bishop of Glasgow_, had taken part in the last
rising. The King's peace was now offered to all rebels who would profit
by it. But the great difficulty in dealing with the Scots was that they
never knew when they were conquered, and, just when Edward hoped that
his scheme for union was carried out, they rose in arms once more.
=16. Bruce's Revolt.=--The leader this time was _Robert Bruce, Lord of
Annandale, Earl of Carrick_ in right of his mother, and the grandson
and heir of the rival of Balliol. He had joined Wallace, but had again
sworn fealty to Edward at the Convention of Irvine, and had since then
received many favours from the English king. Bruce signed a _bond_
with _William Lamberton, Bishop of St. Andrews_, who had also been
one of Wallace's supporters. In this bond each party swore to stand
by the other in all his undertakings, no matter what, and not to act
without the knowledge of the other. The signing of such bonds became
a prominent and distinctive feature in the after-history of Scotland.
This bond became known to Edward; and Bruce, afraid of his anger, fled
from London to _Dumfries_. There in the Church of the _Grey Friars_ he
had an interview with _John Comyn of Badenoch_, called the _Red Comyn_,
who, after _Balliol_ and his sons, was the next heir to the throne.
He was the grandson of a younger sister of Balliol's mother, and the
son of Balliol's sister. He had also a strong claim to the favour of
the people in his alleged descent, through _Donald Bane_, from their
ancient Celtic kings. What passed between them cannot be certainly
known, as they met alone, but Bruce came out of the church saying he
feared he had slain the Red Comyn. _Kirkpatrick_, one of his followers,
then said, he would "mak sicker," and ran in and slew the wounded man.
By this murder and sacrilege Bruce put himself at once out of the pale
of the law and of the Church, but by it he became the nearest heir
to the crown, after the Balliols. This gave him a great hold on the
people, whose faith in the virtue of hereditary succession was strong,
and on whom the English yoke weighed heavily.
=17. Coronation at Scone.=--On March 27, 1306, Bruce was crowned with
as near an imitation of the old ceremonies as could be compassed on
such short notice. The actual crowning was done by _Isabella, Countess
of Buchan_, who, though her husband was a Comyn, and, as such, a sworn
foe of Bruce, came secretly to uphold the right of her own family, the
_Macduffs_, to place the crown on the head of the King of Scots.
=18. Edward's proposed Revenge.=--Edward determined this time to put
down the Scots with rigour. _Aymer of Valence, Earl of Pembroke_,
succeeded John of Bretayne as Governor. All who had taken any part in
the murder of the Red Comyn were denounced as traitors, and death was
to be the fate of all persons taken in arms. Bruce was excommunicated
by a special bull from the Pope. The _Countess of Buchan_ was confined
in a room, made like a cage, in one of the towers of _Berwick Castle_.
One of King Robert's sisters was condemned to a like punishment. His
brother _Nigel_, his brother-in-law _Christopher Seton_, and three
other nobles were taken prisoners, and were put to death as traitors.
This, the first noble blood that had been shed in the popular cause,
did much to unite the sympathy of the nobles with the commons, who had
hitherto been the only sufferers from the oppression of the conquerors.
Edward this time made greater preparations than ever. All classes of
his subjects from all parts of his dominions were invited to join
the army, and he exhorted his son, _Edward Prince of Wales_, and 300
newly-created knights, to win their spurs worthily in the reduction of
contumacious Scotland. It was well for Scotland that he did not live to
carry out his vows of vengeance. He died at _Burgh-on-the-Sands_, July
30th. His death proved a turning-point in the history of Scotland, for,
though the English still remained in possession of the strongholds,
Edward the Second took no effective steps to crush the rebels. He
only brought the army raised by his father as far as _Cumnock_ in
_Ayrshire_, and retreated without doing anything.
=19. Bruce's Struggles.=--For several years King Robert was an outlaw
and a fugitive, with but a handful of followers. Their lives were in
constant danger. Whenever an opportunity offered, they made daring
attacks on the English in possession; at other times they saved their
lives by hairbreadth escapes from their pursuit. The Celts of the west
and of _Galloway_, who had been won over to the English interest,
were against them, and the _Earl of Buchan_, husband of the patriotic
Countess, and his kinsman, _Macdougal of Lorn_, were Bruce's most
deadly enemies. At one time Bruce had met with so many defeats that
he left Scotland and thought of giving up the struggle and going to
the Holy Land. Tradition says that the example of a spider stirred
him up to fresh courage and endurance. He was in hiding in the island
of Rachrin, off the north coast of Ireland. As he lay one morning in
bed in the wretched hut in which he had taken refuge, he saw a spider
trying in vain to throw its web across from beam to beam of the roof
above his head. The insect tried six times and failed. Bruce reckoned
that he had been beaten just six times by the English. He watched
eagerly to see if the spider would try again. "If it does," thought
he, "so will I." Once more the spider made the attempt, and this time
it was successful. Bruce took it as a happy omen, and went back to
Scotland. He joined some of his followers in the _Isle of Arran_. From
the island they went to the mainland, and from that time the tide of
fortune seemed to turn, and to bring him good luck instead of bad.
Still he had to go through many perils. The story of his exploits has
been handed down to us by _John Barbour, Archdeacon of Aberdeen_. As
he was born soon after Bruce's death, there may be some truth in the
tales which he tells, though it must be borne in mind that they are
but tales. He describes Bruce as a strong, tall man, so cheerful and
good-humoured that he kept up the spirits of his followers no matter
what mishaps befell them, always first in danger, and often owing his
life to his own wit and daring. One of his best known feats happened
in the country of John of Lorn. Three Highlanders, who had sworn to
take his life, set upon him when he was quite alone. One seized his
horse's bridle; another tried to take his foot out of the stirrup;
the third, leaping on him from behind, tried to unhorse him. Bruce
cut them all down and rode off triumphant. His brooch had come loose
in the struggle, and was ever afterwards kept as a precious relic in
the family of his enemy Macdougal of Lorn. The first decided success
of Bruce was the defeat of his old enemy, the Earl of Buchan, who
with his followers joined the English, and forced Bruce to right near
_Inverary_. Bruce won the day, and his followers so spoiled the lands
of the Comyn that this fray was long remembered as the "_Herrying of
Buchan_." At length the clergy recognized Bruce as their King, and
this virtual taking off the excommunication had a great effect upon
the people. The little band of patriots increased by degrees. The
strongholds were won back, till at last only _Stirling_ was left to the
English, and it was so sorely pressed that the governor agreed to give
it up to the Scots if he were not relieved before St. John Baptist's
Day, 1314. Roused by the fear of losing this, the most prized of all
Edward the First's conquests, the English gathered in great force, and
marched 100,000 strong to the relief of the garrison.
=20. Battle of Bannockburn, June 24, 1314.=--The Scots were posted so
as to command the plain or carse of Stirling, which the English must
cross to reach the Castle. They were greatly inferior to the English
in numbers, and had scarcely any cavalry, in which the chief strength
of the English force lay. Robert divided them into four battles or
divisions. Their leaders were _Sir James Douglas_; _Randolf_, his
nephew; _James the Stewart_, and Bruce's own brother _Edward_. Bruce
himself commanded the fourth division, which was placed behind the
others, as in it were the men he least trusted, and a small body of
cavalry. One flank of the army rested on the _Bannock_, a small stream
or burn, from which the battle took its name. Before the battle joined,
as King Robert was reviewing his line, he was challenged to single
combat by _Henry of Bohun_, an English knight, and raised the spirit
of his followers by cleaving his adversary's skull. The English began
the fight by a volley of arrows, but their archers were dispersed
by the small body of the Scottish horsemen whom King Robert sent to
charge them. The English cavalry then charged the Scots, but they
tried in vain to break the compact bristling masses of the Scottish
spearmen, and themselves fell into confusion. Some Highland gillies
and camp-followers just then appeared on the brow of a neighbouring
hill. The English took them for a reserve of the enemy, were seized
with terror, fled in wild disorder, and the defeat became a total and
shameful rout. The horsemen in their flight fell into the pitfalls
which the Scots had cunningly sunk in the plain. King Edward and 500
knights never drew rein till they reached Dunbar, whence they took ship
for Berwick. Great spoil and many noble captives fell that day to the
share of the victors.
=21. Results of the Victory=.--By this battle, won against tremendous
odds, the _Saxons_ of the _Lowlands_ decided their own fate and that
of the _Celtic_ people by whose name they were called, and to whose
kingdom they chose to belong. On the field of Bannockburn they gave
the English a convincing proof that they preferred sharing the poverty
and turbulent independence of that half-civilized Celtic kingdom to
rejoining the more wealthy, prosperous, and settled country from
which three centuries before they had been severed. Three more
centuries were still to pass before Edward the First's great idea
of a Union could be carried out. _Bannockburn_ is noteworthy among
battles as being one of the first to prove the value of Wallace's
great discovery that footmen, when rightly understood and skilfully
handled, were, after all, better than the mounted men-at-arms hitherto
deemed invincible. Like _Morgarten_ and _Courtray_, the fields on
which the _Flemings_ and the _Swiss_ about the same time overthrew
their oppressors, this victory of the Scots stands forth as a bright
example, showing how, even in that age of feudal tyranny, a few men of
set purpose, fighting for their common liberty, could withstand a great
mass of feudal retainers fighting simply at the bidding of their lords.
=22. Bruce's Comrades.=--The faithful friends of Bruce, those who had
shared his dangers and helped him to win his crown, were no way behind
their leader in courage and heroism. The most famous of them all was
_James of Douglas_, son of that _Douglas_ who had been the friend and
supporter of _Wallace_. His own _Castle of Douglas_ was the scene of
one of his most daring deeds, hence called the _Douglas Larder_. The
English held his castle, but on Palm Sunday, when the garrison were
gone to church, Douglas attacked them suddenly, killed some, and took
the rest prisoners. He and his men then went up to the castle, where
they feasted merrily on the fare that was being made ready for the
English. When they had dined, Douglas bade them bring forth all the
provision of food and fuel and pile it up in the castle hall. He then
killed the English prisoners and flung their bodies on the heap. Over
them he poured their store of wine, which mingled with the blood that
still streamed from their gaping wounds. The Scots then set fire to the
whole and went off to the woods again, for the free vault of heaven was
more to their minds than the constraint of castle walls. All these
stories are only tales; but, whether true or not, they show the spirit
of the time.
=23. Summary.=--In this chapter we have seen how Scotland lost her
independence by the selfish quarrels of her nobles and the weakness
of her King John Balliol; how the rising of Wallace, the first effort
for regaining her ancient freedom, was confined solely to the people
without the nobles; how it came to nothing from the want of unity of
purpose in the nation; how Scotland, after the failure of this attempt,
had lost her separate national life and had been united to England;
how, when all hope seemed lost, the people rose under a leader who was
really a Norman baron, and therefore as much a foreigner to them as
any of the governors placed over them by Edward; and how by one great
effort they shook off the yoke of the invaders and drove them from the
soil.