Continuing Scottish Resistance, 1298-1305

Question 1

Continuing Scottish Resistance - Pre Falkirk expedition to England

Answer 1

• Wallace led expeditions to Carlisle and Newcastle, burning, looting and killing as they trampled through the English countryside.

Question 2

Continuing Scottish resistance 1298-1305 - Before Falkirk

Answer 2

• It has been suggested that Wallace was forced to fight in this battle by the nobles who were not in favour of retreating in front of Edwards army.
• As Edward moved his great army north in July 1298, he had not idea where Wallace was, his force had been unhindered in its march and he was convinced that Wallace has outmanoeuvred him and was heading to Carlisle to attack the city.
• Earls of Dunbar and Angus rode to Edward to inform him of Wallaces whereabouts, Wallace had no intention of fighting a pitched battle.

Question 3

Continuing Scottish resistance 1298-1305 - English Army at Falkirk

Answer 3

• records show that 115 baronets were in attendance.
• This would have gave Edward a Cavalry force in excess of 2000, large levies of welsh troops arrived, many armed with longbows.
• Most significantly was the inclusion of Edward I himself.

Question 4

Continuing Scottish resistance 1298-1305 - The Scot’s army at Falkirk

Answer 4

• Well equipped with mounted knights; perhaps as many as 600 knights and squires.
  -The Earl of Comyn, the Steward and other Scottish Earls had contributed large numbers of their followers for the campaign.
• The rest of the army was deployed in three large schiltron circles, each with roughly 2000 pikemen.
• Large numbers of archers from Selkirk forest.
  -Wallace apparently prepared the land well in advance by digging in stakes in front of the schiltrons to provide extra defence.
• However this is unlikely as when would he have had the time to prepare this?
• Wallace formed his men behind a boggy marsh which had been formed between the Glen Burn and the Westquarter Burn.

Question 5

Continuing Scottish resistance 1298-1305 - The course of battle

Answer 5

• The English Cavalry attacked the Scottish army on both flank, they split up into two divisions on each flank they both swerved to avoid the boggy morass in the centre of the field and concentrated on the schiltrons at the end of the Scots’ skirmish line.
• the vanguard struck first, led by the Earl of Lincoln and the Earl of Hereford, the Scots fought bravely but were quickly driven from the field by the superior English horsemen.
• Once the Scots cavalry withdrew it left the Scottish archers without any real protection. The English knights were hidden from view by the large bodies of Scottish pikemen until the very last second and this left the archers exposed, leading to a massacre.

Question 6

Continuing Scottish resistance 1298-1305 - The course of battle defeat of the Scots

Answer 6

• The vast numbers of English archers opened fire on the Scot’s, killing hundreds upon hundreds within their deadly missile fire.
• It was this stationary positioning of the schiltrons that led to Wallace’s defeat, eventually the schiltrons collapsed as there were not enough men still a live to maintain their coherence.
• English spearmen joined and charged into the mass affray, killing Scots by the hundreds as they turned and fled for the relative safety of the Callendar wood.
• Scottish Chroniclers tell us that 10,000 Scots died on the 22nd July 1298.

Question 7

Continuing Scottish resistance 1298-1305 -Why were the Scots defeated?

Answer 7

• The failure of the Scots at Falkirk has often been blamed on the traitorous actions of the Scottish Calavary running away at the start of the battle.
• This in turn led to the destruction of the Scottish archers and their failure to check the English archers from decimating the schiltrons.
• It is often argued that Wallace was wrong to offer battle at Falkirk and with hindsight this appears to be correct.
• The schiltorns lack of mobility and the failure to protect the archers that was the downfall of the Scots at Falkirk.
• The ground also made it impossible for the schiltorns to advance upon the archers as they poured their deadly fire into the mass of the Scots.
• Wallaces poor choice of tactics at Falkirk reflects his lack of formal military training.

Question 8

Continuing Scottish resistance 1298-1305 - the End of Wallace

Answer 8

• Wallace resigned his Guardianship of Scotland not long after the battle of Falkirk.
• He was quickly replaced by representatives from both the Balliol and Bruce factions.
• It has been suggested that he never gave up the fight for the restoration of King John, he supposedly traveled to the court of Phillip IV of France and petitioned in vain for the release of the Scottish King.
• Wallace returned to Scotland in 1303 and rejoined the resistance of the Guardians.
• It is possible that William Wallace was one of the Scottish leaders that routed an English advance near Edinburgh on 24 February 1303.
• John Comyn raised an army during the 1303-4 invasions (resistance against Edward).

Question 9

Continuing Scottish resistance 1298-1305 - the End of Wallace

Answer 9

• By the end of 1304 the majority of the resistance had collapsed and Wallace was running out of hiding spots, he was eventually betrayed by Sir John Mentieth on 3 August and taken to London to face trial for treason.
• Wallaces claims that he never swore oath of fealty to Edward and thus could not be tried for treason (resistance ie dealing with someone who resisted him) were ignored.
• After a mock trial he was sentenced to be hung, drawn, quartered, disembowelled and beheaded.
• His head was sent to the Tower of London, the rest of his body was quartered and each part separately was sent to Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling and Perth as a warning to those who might rebel against King Edward I.