On 11 September 1297, the Battle of Stirling Bridge was fought between the Scottish under William Wallace and Andrew Murray and the English under John de Warenne during the Anglo-Scottish Wars.
Why did it happen?
Following the death of Alexander III of Scotland and Queen Margaret in 1286 and 1290 respectively, the Scottish lords gave Edward I of England the task of assigning a new king to rule Scotland. Edward chose John Balliol, who was a distant descendant of David I, whom he expected to act as a puppet ruler. In 1295, after refusing to join Edward on a campaign against France, John Balliol forged an alliance with the French, which infuriated Edward, who invaded Scotland in 1296. After defeating Balliol at the Battle of Dunbar on 27 April, Edward deposed him and annexed Scotland, ruling the country directly. This outraged the Scots who under William Wallace rose in revolt against the English the following year. On 22 August 1297, Edward appointed John de Warenne, the Earl of Surrey, the task of putting down the Scottish rebellion before sailing for Flanders to campaign against the French. On 11 September, Warenne met the combined forces of William Wallace and Andrew Murray at Stirling Bridge.
Who was involved?
The Scottish army at Stirling Bridge consisted of 6,000 infantry, 180 cavalry, and 400 archers. The infantry was arrayed in ten infantry formations of 600 pikemen each known as schiltrons, while the cavalry and archers were positioned in the rear. Andrew Murray commanded the right-wing while William Wallace commanded the left-wing. The Scottish plan was to allow half of the English army to cross Stirling Bridge before charging the English forces and trapping them against the Forth River. The English army at Stirling Bridge consisted of 10,000 infantry, 300 cavalry, and 800 archers. The vanguard consisted of 2,000 infantry and 100 cavalry under Hugh de Cressingham, backed by 8,000 infantry and archers under John de Warrene. On the wings were positioned the remaining 200 cavalry with the left-wing under the command of Henry de Perey and the right-wing under the command of Richard Lundie. The English plan was to cross Stirling Bridge and overwhelm the Scots through their superior numbers.
What happened?
At sunrise, after attempting to cross Stirling Bridge two times, John de Warenne ordered Henry de Parey to withdraw his forces since he expected an easy victory over the Scots. At 11 am, as the English vanguard of 2,000 infantry and 100 cavalry finally crossed the bridge, the Scottish army under William Wallace and Andrew Murray moved down from Abbey Craig and deployed to face the English. After half of the English army had crossed Stirling Bridge, the Scottish pikemen charged the English vanguard and drove them back into a loop of the Forth River. As the English infantry was slaughtered by the Scottish pikemen, a small group of English cavalry cut their way through the Scottish ranks and escaped across Stirling Bridge while 300 Welsh infantry swam to safety across the Forth River. Seeing the defeat of their brethren, the remaining English forces on the other side of the river retreated, giving victory to the Scots who left 5,000 English dead on the battlefield.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Stirling Bridge was a victory for the Scottish. Two months after the battle, Andrew Murray died from his wounds sustained in the battle, leaving William Wallace as the undisputed leader of the Scots. In the winter of 1297/98, Wallace was knighted by a Scottish earl and elected as Guardian of the Realm, thereby enhancing his standing among the Scottish nobility. Wallace held this title until his defeat by King Edward I of England at the Battle of Falkirk on 22 July 1298. After this defeat, Wallace resigned his guardianship and traveled to the court of the French king Philip IV in 1299 before traveling to Rome in 1300 to meet Pope Boniface VIII. In 1303, Wallace returned to Scotland where he conducted a guerrilla campaign against the English before being captured and executed in 1305.
Bibliography
Armstrong, Pete. Stirling Bridge & Falkirk 1297-98: William Wallace’s rebellion. Oxford, Osprey Publishing, 2003.
Embrace historia. “The battle of Stirling bridge, First War of Scottish Independence 1297.” YouTube video, 13:17. March 20, 2019. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViL7lD3mEFI
Grant, R.G. 1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History. London, Cassell Illustrated, 2011.
McNab, Chris. The World’s Worst Military Disasters. London, Amber Books, 2005.