On 19 July 1333, the Battle of Halidon Hill was fought between the English under Edward III and the Scottish under Archibald Douglas during the Anglo-Scottish Wars.
Why did it happen?
When Robert Bruce died in 1329, he was succeeded by his five-year-old son, David II. In 1332, Edward Balliol, son of Edward I of England, invaded Scotland with a small army of Scottish nobles and English adventurers to claim the throne. He deposed David II and forced him into exile. However, Edward was soon ambushed by David’s supporters and fled back to England, where he asked for King Edward III’s support in exchange for Scottish lands. Seizing his opportunity, Edward III invaded Scotland to conquer it. In April 1333, Edward besieged Berwick, which agreed to surrender if the Scottish army had not relieved it by 11 July. Subsequently, Archibald Douglas marched south with a large army to relieve Berwick, but when the deadline of 11 July came and went, the English began hanging Scottish prisoners, which forced Berwick’s inhabitants to declare a new deadline of 20 July. On 19 July, Archibald Douglas’ relief army crossed the Tweed River from the northwest and confronted the English army at Halidon Hill.
Who was involved?
The English army at Halidon Hill numbered 6,000 infantry, 500 cavalry, and 3,500 archers. The English infantry and archers were arrayed in three divisions, with the men-at-arms supported by rows of archers. Edward Balliol led the left wing, Edward Bohun the right wing, and Edward III commanded the centre. The English plan at Halidon Hill was to use their archers to rain arrows down upon the Scottish pikemen, inflict heavy casualties and kill any survivors with their infantry. Once the Scottish force had been routed, the English cavalry would pursue them off the battlefield. The Scottish army at Halidon Hill numbered 13,500 infantry and 1,000 cavalry. The Scottish infantry was arrayed into three blocks of 4,500 pikemen each, with the Earl of Ross, James Stewart, and the Earl of Moray commanding the left, centre, and right wings, respectively. Held in reserve was the cavalry under Archibald Douglas, who chose to fight dismounted. The Scottish plan at Halidon Hill was to advance against the English position and rout it, thereby relieving the Siege of Berwick.
What happened?
At 12pm, after a long pause in which both sides waited for the other to attack, the Scottish pikemen advanced downhill from their position on the Witches Knowe and crossed the boggy ground to confront the English army on Halidon Hill. As the Scots advanced, English archers discharged volleys of arrows into the Scottish formations, who turned their heads away to avoid the English arrows. Upon reaching the English line, the Scottish pikemen engaged the English men-at-arms in close combat. On the Scottish right wing, the Scottish forces under the Earl of Moray suffered heavy losses from the English men-at-arms under Edward Balliol and were routed. At the same time, the Scottish centre and left wing were thrown back in disarray, at which point the English cavalry charged the Scottish forces as they retreated to the Witches Knowe. The Scots lost 4,000 killed, while English losses were negligible, with 14 killed and 36 wounded.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Halidon Hill was an English victory. In the aftermath of the battle, Berwick surrendered to Edward III, who could now advance into Scotland unimpeded. As stated by Saul David, “The capture of Berwick was a key turning point: the way was now open for the English, and the Scots could mount no credible defence against them” (David, 2009, p.97). Faced with overwhelming English military might, the Scots adopted hit-and-run tactics, which slowly but surely ebbed England’s momentum as Edward III became preoccupied with war against France. In 1357, David II signed the Treaty of Berwick with Edward III, which agreed that Edward should succeed David in Scotland following his death. The Scots never accepted this and appointed Robert II as king when David II died in 1371. The Anglo-Scottish Wars would continue until the Union of the Crowns in 1603 when James VI of Scotland became James I of England.
Bibliography
David, Saul. War: The Definitive Visual History. New York, Dorling Kindersley, 2009.
Grant, R.G. 1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History. London, Cassell Illustrated, 2011.
History Watch. “HUNDRED YEARS' WAR: Battle of Halidon Hill.” YouTube video, 4:03. February 9, 2020. www.youtube.com/watch?v=efhqdRV8PFE
Mackenzie, John. “Battle of Halidon Hill.” British Battles. Accessed February 24, 2024. www.britishbattles.com/scottish-war-of-independence/battle-of-halidon-hill/
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