Days of Battles:
Monday we left Edinburgh, through the new city, and on to Falkirk. One of the things happening in Britain is that the canals are being reborn, and are increasingly being used by holiday makers and others. The Falkirk Wheel is a recent addition to the Scottish canals to quickly move boats up and down 20 – 30 meters, instead of having to slowly go through a series of locks which would take at least on hour, probably more. Quite a site and well worth a visit. I discovered later that Falkirk was the site of William Wallace’s great defeat, and the beginning of his end.
You can go for narrow boat rides up the wheel and along the canal before returning, but we chose to go to Bannockburn, the site of Robert Bruce’s great victory over the English.
I found this a fascinating place. Partly I love history, much more so than Bonnie. But I enjoyed learning some of the story around Bannockburn, Robert the Bruce, and William Wallace of Braveheart fame. We kind of did it back to front really, finishing with King Robert.
Shortish story.
All was well until Alexander III of Scotland died suddenly without an heir. Robert Bruce (grandfather of the later King) and John Balliol (?) both had claims to the throne. To avoid bloodshed the Scottish nobles asked Edward II of England to adjudicate. Never being one to miss a chance he declared himself overlord, and name John king, as come say he knew he could not muster an effective opposition. All was well until Edwards demands grew too great and King John declared independence. He was defeated in about 1295, and taken to London as a prisoner, as were the Scottish honours (crown etc…) and the Stone of Scone, a mythical thing that Scottish kings sat on. It was in Westminster Abbey under the coronation chair (which was specially built for it) until it was returned in 1996 to Edinburgh.
Edward slaughtered every man woman and child in Berwick on the border, and in that site forced the Scottish nobles to sign an oath of allegiance to Edward. William Wallace’s father had been killed a little earlier, and William engaged in a guerrilla campaign. In the end the local English “Sheriff” executed his wife in retaliation for murders committed by William. He responded by leading his “gang of insurgents (or freedom fighters) into the sheriff’s castle, murdering them all and throwing their bodies out of the castle. He then with another non noble, Andrew Moray from the North, engaged in guerrilla war fare until hearing that Edward had sent a large army north. They met them at Stirling, near Bannockburn, and using the narrow bridge and road, and the river and bog defeated English army. He then went south raiding English towns and villages, as far as York to provide supplies for the Scottish people. He had nine months grace before Edward returned. The nobles and the cavalry deserted William and his foot soldiers, who were cut down by the longbow men. All this had happened by 1297. William was not captured until 1305, when he was betrayed and taken to London where he was hung, drawn (castrated and have entrails ripped out and burnt while still alive), and then beheaded. He was then cut up and bits sent around to discourage other uprising. Of course all Edward managed to do was create a martyr. The USA and Britain will need to be careful what they do in Iraq.
In 1306 Robert the Bruce met the other noble with claims to the throne, murdered him, and was crowned king. Edward responded by sending another army north, defeating Robert, executing three of his brothers, capturing and imprisoning his sister and wife and children, and executing or imprisoning any other supporters he could find. Robert escaped to the Western isles where he sulked. There he watched a spider attempt 9 times to create a web. Hew returned to Scotland, gathered a small force, and engaged in a guerrilla war against eh English, avoiding any pitched battles. Edward did again ride north, but died on the way, and his son was not so keen on war, and left it alone for a while. Slowly the castled fell, and were dismantled. Slowly Scotland was freed by this army tat used hit and run tactics, both in Scotland and the north of England, using a scorched earth policy against the English. Because he would not fight a real ballet, he was very hard to defeat. 1307, and the guerrilla was hard to beat. When he was forced into a battle, be was experienced at leading armies, his 500 light cavalry were well trained and experienced, and his pikemen were very well trained and used to winning. Although outnumbered three to one, and the opposition having much better armour and weapons, Robert knew the land, and used it to hem the English in, nullify the archers, and in the end slaughter the English army. June 254 and 25 1314 (I think)
While In London I passed the statue honouring Lord Haig Commander in chief of the British forces in WW1. He did win, but the contrast with Robert is huge. Robert had a small army and looked after his men. Haig wasted men. Hundreds of thousands did unnecessary death because of either his incompetence or his general’s incompetence. And today, does America or Britain remember the lesson of Robert the Bruce, that a small guerrilla army in almost impossible to defeat, especially one that will not engage in traditional battles, and which capitalises on the opponents position as unwelcome invaders. Robert was not the nicest person. He assassinated his opponent, and then waged a campaign of murder to silence the aggrieved families and supporters. He would not give Wallace the support he needed, because he was not of noble birth. But he is revered because the hated English were defeated and cast out. What of this applies to Iraq, or any other war being fought today?
After Bannockburn we went to Stirling, and got a flat tyre which took over an hour to sort out, probably longer. We were going to go to St. Andrews, but ran out of time, so stayed at Stirling. On Tuesday we then went to the Wallace Monument, celebrated who he was and what hi martyrdom offered Scotland. Then off to St. Andrews, home of golf, and where St. Rule brought the relics of St. Andrew. Then we headed on to Brechin, where the Hebentons come from.
You can go for narrow boat rides up the wheel and along the canal before returning, but we chose to go to Bannockburn, the site of Robert Bruce’s great victory over the English.
I found this a fascinating place. Partly I love history, much more so than Bonnie. But I enjoyed learning some of the story around Bannockburn, Robert the Bruce, and William Wallace of Braveheart fame. We kind of did it back to front really, finishing with King Robert.
Shortish story.
All was well until Alexander III of Scotland died suddenly without an heir. Robert Bruce (grandfather of the later King) and John Balliol (?) both had claims to the throne. To avoid bloodshed the Scottish nobles asked Edward II of England to adjudicate. Never being one to miss a chance he declared himself overlord, and name John king, as come say he knew he could not muster an effective opposition. All was well until Edwards demands grew too great and King John declared independence. He was defeated in about 1295, and taken to London as a prisoner, as were the Scottish honours (crown etc…) and the Stone of Scone, a mythical thing that Scottish kings sat on. It was in Westminster Abbey under the coronation chair (which was specially built for it) until it was returned in 1996 to Edinburgh.
Edward slaughtered every man woman and child in Berwick on the border, and in that site forced the Scottish nobles to sign an oath of allegiance to Edward. William Wallace’s father had been killed a little earlier, and William engaged in a guerrilla campaign. In the end the local English “Sheriff” executed his wife in retaliation for murders committed by William. He responded by leading his “gang of insurgents (or freedom fighters) into the sheriff’s castle, murdering them all and throwing their bodies out of the castle. He then with another non noble, Andrew Moray from the North, engaged in guerrilla war fare until hearing that Edward had sent a large army north. They met them at Stirling, near Bannockburn, and using the narrow bridge and road, and the river and bog defeated English army. He then went south raiding English towns and villages, as far as York to provide supplies for the Scottish people. He had nine months grace before Edward returned. The nobles and the cavalry deserted William and his foot soldiers, who were cut down by the longbow men. All this had happened by 1297. William was not captured until 1305, when he was betrayed and taken to London where he was hung, drawn (castrated and have entrails ripped out and burnt while still alive), and then beheaded. He was then cut up and bits sent around to discourage other uprising. Of course all Edward managed to do was create a martyr. The USA and Britain will need to be careful what they do in Iraq.
In 1306 Robert the Bruce met the other noble with claims to the throne, murdered him, and was crowned king. Edward responded by sending another army north, defeating Robert, executing three of his brothers, capturing and imprisoning his sister and wife and children, and executing or imprisoning any other supporters he could find. Robert escaped to the Western isles where he sulked. There he watched a spider attempt 9 times to create a web. Hew returned to Scotland, gathered a small force, and engaged in a guerrilla war against eh English, avoiding any pitched battles. Edward did again ride north, but died on the way, and his son was not so keen on war, and left it alone for a while. Slowly the castled fell, and were dismantled. Slowly Scotland was freed by this army tat used hit and run tactics, both in Scotland and the north of England, using a scorched earth policy against the English. Because he would not fight a real ballet, he was very hard to defeat. 1307, and the guerrilla was hard to beat. When he was forced into a battle, be was experienced at leading armies, his 500 light cavalry were well trained and experienced, and his pikemen were very well trained and used to winning. Although outnumbered three to one, and the opposition having much better armour and weapons, Robert knew the land, and used it to hem the English in, nullify the archers, and in the end slaughter the English army. June 254 and 25 1314 (I think)
While In London I passed the statue honouring Lord Haig Commander in chief of the British forces in WW1. He did win, but the contrast with Robert is huge. Robert had a small army and looked after his men. Haig wasted men. Hundreds of thousands did unnecessary death because of either his incompetence or his general’s incompetence. And today, does America or Britain remember the lesson of Robert the Bruce, that a small guerrilla army in almost impossible to defeat, especially one that will not engage in traditional battles, and which capitalises on the opponents position as unwelcome invaders. Robert was not the nicest person. He assassinated his opponent, and then waged a campaign of murder to silence the aggrieved families and supporters. He would not give Wallace the support he needed, because he was not of noble birth. But he is revered because the hated English were defeated and cast out. What of this applies to Iraq, or any other war being fought today?
After Bannockburn we went to Stirling, and got a flat tyre which took over an hour to sort out, probably longer. We were going to go to St. Andrews, but ran out of time, so stayed at Stirling. On Tuesday we then went to the Wallace Monument, celebrated who he was and what hi martyrdom offered Scotland. Then off to St. Andrews, home of golf, and where St. Rule brought the relics of St. Andrew. Then we headed on to Brechin, where the Hebentons come from.
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