Anglo Scottish Wars 1485-1750 Flashcards
(7 cards)
Background to the Anglo Scottish wars.
For most of their history England and Scotland had been separate nations and even after James VI of Scotland was invited to succeed Elizabeth as the English king the countries remained separate and after Charles II restoration they remained sharing a monarch and were only officially united in 1707.
Up until Edward I reign relations between England and Scotland had been mostly peaceful but when he effectively tried to control Scotland they resisted causing long periods of conflict.
Scottish invasions in England.
England and Scotland conflicted over various different things during the Anglo-Scottish wars, border disputes and wider European issues as Scotland had a long notorious friendship with France. So when Henry VIII went to war with France James IV invaded but was decisively defeated in the battle of Flossen field in 1513. In 1542 James V renewed the alliance and invaded but was yet again defeated, this time at Solway Moss. Shortly after James V died and his only heir (Mary queen of Scot’s) was just a child so noblemen led the country and were divided on wether to make an alliance with England or France so when they seemed like they would choose France Henry VIII sent an army led by the earl of Hertford to ravage and intimidate the Scot’s causing a great deal of damage, but this was eventually repelled by the Scot’s.
Following Henry VIII’s death during Elizabeth’s reign there was a period of uncertain peace due to both sides economic struggles but the conflict never truly settled.
Official vs unofficial warfare during Anglo Scottish wars?
1: Official warfare,
This could be devastating as armies lived off the surrounding countryside taking what they needed English tactics also included deliberate destruction for example the earl of Hertfords campaign in 1545 they destroyed,
A) 7 monasteries
B) 16 fortified towers
C) 5 towns
D) 243 villages
E) 13 Mills
F) 3 Hospitals
And areas involved in the conflicts were plagued by poverty and disease.
2: Unofficial warfare,
During Elizabeths reign there was ‘uncertain peace’ as both sides were struggling financially and wanted to keep conflicts less frequent, so the borders became an area of no man’s land were authority was weak, this worked for both sides as there was limited risk of invasion but the people who lived in these regions suffered the consequences of not having a clear ruler.
The rise and fall border reivers and wardens of the marches?
During the ‘peaceful’ period of Elizabeth’s reign the border reivers emerged in the English Scottish border who paid no loyalty to England or Scotland just their own clan. The reivers were only loyal to their clans and blood relatives which caused lots of serious conflicts and deadly feuds which could continue for decades.
Clans aimed to improve their livelihood at their enemies expense. So they launched raids stealing other clans cattle sheep and other goods. They also took many hostages for ransom. Many of these raids led to retaliation raids which meant there was constant conflict.
This also meant for the most part they were left alone by both governments as they were seen as the first line of defence against an enemy invasion.
The borders were not completely lawless though as the land was divided into three marches: east, middle and west each appointed a warden who’s job was to deter raiders from other marches, however they did very little to maintain law and order.
The Scottish wardens were chosen from reiver families in a hood that they could gain control and order but they were too loyal and often joined in with the raiding activities.
Whereas in England the wardens came from southern England and were chosen as they would not be biased to any one family, but this also meant they failed to command loyalty and respect from the locals and due to their lacklustre wage they were also very corrupt causing hatred from the people which led to many wardens being murdered.
The reivers eventually fell in 1603 after James VI of Scotland became James I of England and as the thrones were united there was no longer any advantage for the lawless border region and English and Scottish forces united to bring the reivers down into the same justice system as everyone else. Reivers were dealt with savagely with many being executed without trial. Others were forced into conscription to help in the war in Netherlands and some were unwillingly sent to work the land in Ireland.
The 1715 Jacobite rebellion?
After Queen Anne died in 1714 with no surviving children the most obvious person to take the throne was James Stuart son of king James II who had been overthrown. But he was a catholic and English nobility were not prepared to accept this so instead the throne went to Protestant Prince George of Hanover.
The Jacobite’s were mainly in the Scottish highlands as many clans were catholic and were angered by this decision and a rebellion occurred in 1715 and they were supported by France who saw englands growing empire as a real threat.
They had lost of early success and by October they had control of most of the Scottish highlands but they remained wary as they knew the English would recover quickly. A small Jacobite force invade England but surrendered quickly in Preston and James Stuart who had come to Scotland quickly returned to France and Jacobite leaders retreated to the highlands.
The British government did not see the rebellion as a big threat and showed leniency to the Jacobites, and they also thought chasing the jacobites into their own territory would be dangerous. But they did build several forts and 400km of road to ensure troops could crush any future risings.
When another rebellion in 1719 failed this assured the government. But despite the seeming success in uniting the countries the rebellions show not everyone was happy with the decision.
The 1745 Jacobite rebellion?
The second Jacobite rebellion led by Bonnie Prince Charlie, James Stuart’s son was far more serious.
Britain was at war with France at the time with most of the British army fighting in Europe so when Charles arrived in Scotland he saw the opportunity and began to rally support with the promise of French backing.
Several clans supported Charles cause as they wanted catholic James back on the throne. He was able to March south in 2,500 men and he arrived in Edinburgh in September and declared his father as King James VIII and on the 21st September his army defeated a small English force ensuring he had control of most of Scotland.
Next Charles set his sights on England and in November his forces captured Carlisle and its castle and by December his 5,000 men had reached derby causing panic in London. But Charles was also worried as he had expected more support from Jacobite sympathisers in northern England but only 300 English catholics joined his army and he received not help from France. Surrounded by government forces he retreated to the highlands.
Despite failing to achieve his goal he caused enough panic that the British government had to recall large numbers of their troops from the Netherlands.
The British government used the invasions to increase national pride as most people supported their Protestant king and noblemen raised regiments of volunteers to defend the monarch. God save the king also emerged as the national anthem. Lowland and many highland Scot’s fought in the British army and were eager to fight back against the jacobites with more Scot’s fighting against Charles than for him.
The battle of culloden:
In late December 1745 an English army led by the Duke of Cumberland headed north and recaptured Carlisle on the 30th, Jacobite prisoners were thrown int the dungeons with little to no food and water and they were rumoured to be licking the damp walls to survive.
On 16th April 1746 Charles tried and failed to take Cumberland by surprise in culloden his army of 5000 to 9000 was defeated within an hour and Charles escaped and fled to France.
Impacts of the Jacobite rebellions.
1: Short Term,
Wounded Jacobites were killed were they lay and across the highlands precious livestock which was vital for their survival were rounded up and sold. Hundreds of Jacobite supporters were hunted down and imprisoned but most were later released. Over 100 were executed and another 1000 were transported to British colonies in North America, many Jacobite leaders were publicly executed in the Tower of London. There was a high price put on Charles head but no one betrayed him, but it was made clear his support had little remaining support.
Medium term: reducing power
British government passed a series of laws demilitarising highland clans. All swords had to be surrendered and even wearing tartan other than British soldiers was banned and clans could no longer follow their own laws. Pro government cheiftans were rewarded with the cheiftans who had supported princes Charles’s land.
Long term: Scotland and the union:
The defeat in 1745 marked the end of the threat and Scotland was ruled by the pro government lowland Scot’s. Englishmen didn’t rule Scotland as loyal Scot’s were effective enough and Scotland became more integrated with Great Britain.
Longer term: the wider world,
The highlanders were technically demilitarised but there military skills would be called upon in the 1750s as britains war with France was more intense than ever with each state trying to build global empires especially in North America and India, and for the brits to ignore a Large group of effective soldiers, like the Highlanders would be foolish. Thousands of Highlanders join the British Army and played a key role in the expansion of the British Empire winning key battles in Québec, which led to the conquest of Canada and in the years that followed many Scottish soldiers settled in Canada.
