4. The Rise and Triumph of Robert Bruce

Question 1

REASONS BRUCE WAS ABLE TO DEFEAT THE ENGLISH

(8)

Answer 1

1. Battle of Louden Hill, Bruce dug ditches along the sides of the roads and trappped the English army - neutralised their numerical advantage, defeated Aymer deValence and forced him to flee.
2. Death of Edward I in 1307 and change of leadership to Edward II weakened the English - Edward II was not as committed to subjugating Scotland as his dad.
3. Change in leadership also meant many nobles in England lacked the motivation for another Scottish campaign and were thus not detemined.
4. Before facing the English, Bruce successfully defeated Scottish opponents such as Comyn family and their allies - Scotland = stronger force overall as they were less divided.
5. Bruce adopted a guerilla style of fighting - hit and run raids = forces would win a castle, destrot it quickly then leave, therefore never splitting the group or allowing castles to be won back by opponents.
6. Before Bannockburn began, Bruce’s efficient and brutal killing of English knight Henry du Bohun - with an axe through the head - on the first day of the battle raised Scottish morale.
7. Bruce had a trustworthy/talented team, including his brother Edward Bruce and other realtives/close friends - could rely on them and therefore more effective force.
8. During Bannockburn, English army lacked a key sense of cohesion as many of the soldiers were French, Welsh or Irish - not committed as they weren’t fighting for their own home.

Question 2

WEAKNESS OF THE ENGLISH OPPOSITION TO BRUCE

(8)

Answer 2

1. Death of Edward I in 1307 and change of leadership to Edward II weakened the English - Edward II was not as committed to subjugating Scotland as his dad.
2. Change in leadership also meant many nobles in England lacked the motivation for another Scottish campaign and were thus not detemined.
3. 1326, Edward II was deposed by his wife Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer, which caused turmoil within England and their position was not secure.
4. During Bannockburn, English were overconfident in their ability to defeat the Scots so didn’t plan much for the batlle - made them weak.
5. During Bannockburn, Edward summoned some extra soldiers last minute - were not well-trained and therefore wekaer force in battle.
6. During Bannockburn, English army lacked a key sense of cohesion as many of the soldiers were French, Welsh or Irish - not committed as they weren’t fighting for their own home.
7. English army archers could not find a position that let them inflict damage on the Scots - when cavalry charged them they were driven off the field.
8. After being attacked by the Earl of Moray on the first day, English forces moved closer to the Bannockburn - poor decision as camp could not sleep on marshy gorund and this impacted their fighting.

Question 3

HOW BRUCE DEFEATED HIS SCOTTISH OPPONENTS

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Answer 3

1. Bruce adopted a guerilla style of fighting (involved hit and run raids, where forces would win a castle, destroy it quickly and leave) - never splitting group up and not allowing castles to be won back by opposition.
2. Winter 1307/08, Bruce moved North through Comyn lands, securing Inverlochy, Urquhart and Inverness Castles as the Earl of Ross surrendered.
3. May 1308, Bruce and his forces fought the Earl of Buchan at the Battle of Inverurie and won - Earl forced to flee and died a year later.
4. After Battle of Inverurie, Bruce ordered the lands of Buchan to be destroyed - farms, homes and livestock were ruined and any who opposed Bruce were killed.
5. 1308 Battle of Pass of Brander, Bruce wiped out the MacDougall family (Comyn’s main supporters in the SW) by outmaneuvering the MacDougall family on a hillside.
6. By March 1309, Bruce had successfully gained control of all of Scotland that was North of the Tay - held his first parliament in StA, where he was confirmed as King with the support of many Scottish nobles.
7. 1310, Declaration of the Clergy issued - Scottish church gave support to Bruce, indicating he had Scotland under his control.

Question 4

REASONS THE SCOTS WERE SUCCESSFUL AT BANNOCKBURN

(8)

Answer 4

1. Many in Scottish army had full faith in Bruce as a leader due to his successes in battle since 1307 - army more motivated/inspired.
2. Bruce’s efficient and brutal killing of the English knight Henry de Bohun - with an axe through the head - before the first day of battle raised morale.
3. Bruce’s army arrived at the battlegrounds near Stirling well in advance - had a better position, immediately giving them the advantage.
4. After being attacked by the Earl of Moray on the first day, the English forces moved closer to the Bannock-burn - poor decision as camp couldnt sleep on marshy ground and this affected their fighting.
5. The Scottish armyadvanced in three seperate ‘schiltron’ formations which the English knights could not counter - Scots successfully pushed them back.
6. Scots chose the battlefield, so bad time to train on it beforehand and could set up pits/traos across the landscape - advantage.
7. Archers in English could not find a position that would allow them to effectively damage the Scots - when cavalry charged them they were driven off the field.
8. English army lacked a key sense of cohesion as many soldiers were French, Welsh or Irish - not committed as they were not fighting for their own home/cause.

Question 5

WAYS BANNOCKBURN WAS/WASN’T SIGNIFICANT FOR SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE

(7)

Answer 5

1. Bruce’s key role at Bannockburn gained him respect from a vast majority of Scots, thus securing his position on the throne.
2. Victory at Bannockburn convinced many people who were sceptical of Bruce to support him, and many Scottish nobles strategically defecred to follow him.
3. With his new control, Bruce was able to pass the Statute of Cambuskenneth which banned Scottish nobles from owning lands in England or they would face being disinherited - no loyalties of the nobles were divided between both countries so Scotland was stronger,
4. The lands of those who died at Bannockburn that had also previously opposed Bruce were given to his closest allies - effectively building up Scotland’s strength.
5. Bruce successfully gained back his wife, daughter and sister in exchange for sending the Earl of Hereford back to England, as he was taken as a POW during Bannockburn.
6. Victory ensured that, after fleeing South, Edward II never returned to Scotland and English forces were successfully driven from the country.
7. However, even after this defeat Edward still refused to acknowledge Scottish independence - his army was technically not defeated and Edward managed to flee the battlefield.

Question 6

WAYS HOSTILITIES CONTINUED AFTER BANNOCKBURN (1314-1328)

(9)

Answer 6

1. Although Bruce failed to siege Carlisle, in 1315 he invaded Northumbria and continued to attack throughout the North of England, which resulted in famine in the English border regions.
2. 1318, Bruce successfully recaptured Berwick - hugely significant as this was the last Scottish town that was in English control.
3. After sieging Berwick, Bruce launched a huge offensive into Northumbria, capturing lands as far as Yorkshire and local nobles even paid the Scots to stay away.
4. 1319, Edward launched a siege on Berwick as he wanted to regain control, however had to abandon this when Bruce sent two senior commanders to attack Yorkshire, forcing Edward to defend his own lands.
5. 1322, Edward summoned a large army of over 20,00 and moved towards Edinburgh instead of Berwick, however this failed due to a lack of food due to the Scots using a ‘scorched Earth’ policy.
6. Battle of Old Byland 1322, Edward II was almost captured by Bruce’s army, and English nobles had to make deals with Scots to stop them from attacking - resulted in the Earl of Carlisle being executed for treason.
7. 1315, Bruce sent his brother Edward to Ireland where he defeated several English forces and captured the main English garrison at Carrickfergus after a long siege.
8. Success of Scots in Ireland as well as the letters that had been sent between Edward Bruce and Welsh cheftains caused fears on the English side that a ‘Celtic Alliance’ would form between Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
9. 1323, despite not acknowledging Scottish independence the English entered a truce with the Scots that was supposed to last 13 years, however instead only lasted 3.

Question 7

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DECLARATION OF ARBROATH

(6)

Answer 7

1. Declaration firmly asserted the right for Scotland to be an independent nation.
2. Decalration was signed by 8 earls and 50 barons, who all said they upported Bruce as King of Scots and were determmined to have independence - significant number.
3. After the letter was sent out, the Pope urged Edward to make peace with Scotland - led to Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton.
4. Treaty justified Bruce’s usurpation of the throne of Scotland in an attempt to explain the lengths he went to for Scottish independence.
5. Arguably NOT significant -** infamous Soules campaign was orchestrated by William Soules, who signed the Declaration **and backed Bruce - many were not actually committed.
6. Arguably NOT significant - failed to convince the Pope to lift his sentence of excommunication on Scotland.

Question 8

REASONS FOR THE TREATY OF EDINBURGH NORTHAMPTON 1328

(6)

Answer 8

1. Many Scots were unhappy that Edward had not formally recognised Bruce as the King of Scotland.
2. 1326, Bruce decided to break the truce after just 3 years and sent an army south to destroy much of Northumbria and put pressure on the new English government of Isabella and Mortimer.
3. As Bruce had a fair bit of control in the North of England, he publicly announced plans to annex Northumbria and hand out the lands to his nobles and knights.
4. Shortly before the Treaty, Bruce launched another raid into Ulster in Ireland, so many in England began to fear a Celtic Alliance again.
5. When nobles in England realised Isabella and Mortimer were unable to prevent the Scots from taking parts of their country, I&M decided the best way to stop a rebellion was to negotiate with Bruce.
6. After the Declaration of Arbroath was sent out, the Pope urged Edward to make peace with Scotland - led to Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton.

Question 9

CONSEQUENCES OF THE TREATY OF EDINBURGH NORTHAMPTON 1328

(8)

Answer 9

1. Edward III renounced his claim to be overlord of the Kingdom of Scotland.
2. The treaty officially recognised Bruce as King of Scots without any need for subjugation or an overlord.
3. The Scots were forced to pay £20,000 in damages and retreat from Northumbria in exchange for peace.
4. To secure the deal, a marriage contract was arranged between Bruce’s son David and Princess Joan of England, Edward III’s sister.
5. When Bruce died in 1329, the Treaty of Edinburg Northampton ensured Scotland was left in a relatively secure and independent situation.
6. Neither Bruce nor Edward attended the wedding that took place in July 1328, showing a lack of commmitment or focus on this important deal.
7. The Stone of Scone never returned to Scotland so there was still the feeling of English superiority.
8. October 1328, the Pope officially revoked te excommunication of Bruce, after being influenced by Edward.