Case Study: Battle Of Falkrik 1298 Flashcards
Who fought at the battle of falkirk
The Scottish lead by noble man William Wallace
The English lead by King Edward 1st
When was the battle of falkirk
22nd July 1298
What where the composition of the two armies
English: had more overall men but less spearmen then the Scottish. 15,510 overall troops
Scottish: more spearmen then the British but less cavalry and longbow men. 10,000 overall troops
King Edward 1st role
He would lead the English as commander. He would of fought on horse back and would have been fighting with them
1st stage of the battle
Scottish take up position on top of a ridge and the spearmen form schiltrons ( large ring formation which was good at defending cavalry). Edward 1st orders some mounted knights to attack the Scottish cavalry and leave the others
2 stage of the battle
The English cavalry succeed in defeating the Scottish cavalry causing them to flee. It’s now easier to attack the Scottish archers. The rest of English cavalry are ordered to attack the Scottish longbow men positioned between the rings of spearmen.
3 stage of the battle
English cavalry charge the Scottish archers and succeed. Note: the english cavalry wanted to show of individual bravery and heavy helmets made it hard to communicate. Scottish arches are killed, fled of the battlefield or took cover in the schiltrons. The English cavalry are then ordered to attack the schiltrons.
4 stage of the battle
English cavalry repeatedly charge the schiltrons but they can’t break them. They are packed so tightly the cavalry can’t break them. Scottish archers inside them also fired arrows out at the cavalry. Edward 1st orders his longbow men to fire at the schiltrons
5 stage of the battle
This is a great move from Edward as large numbers of English longbow men fire at the Scottish spearmen who didn’t wear helmets or armor making them more vulnerable. Gaps in the formations start to appear as Scottish spearmen die. Edward 1st orders the cavalry to charge them. They break in and fight the Scottish in close quarters
6 and final stage of battle
The schiltrons brake and the Scottish spearmen are hacked down. Their spears where to long and unwieldy to fight at such close range making them vulnerable. English spearmen also throw rocks at the formation aswell and join the fight. The scots flee but are cut down as they run.
Outcome
It is estimated around 2000-5000 Scottish died with the English suffering significantly less. The battle itself took no more then a few hours. The English cavalry charge showed that cavalry could be the most decisive force on the battle feild but had their limitations.
Who was William Wallace and what role did he play in the battle of falkirk
He was a Scottish noble man, a skilled leader and rebel against the English. He knew Scottish forces where weaker so he would often try to ambush the English using knowledge of the land which gave them an upper hand. He was surprised at falkirk but still made a good decision with his positioning. He was also inspiring and gave his troops a brief speech before the battle, he was later captured and executed in 1305.
Civilian experience of falkirk
The majority of infantry men where civilians as there was not a permanent army. They where paid decently but nothing great at 2 pence a day. They where usually agricultural workers. The whole campaign that Falkirk was apart do showed the extent of how civilians where effected. With series of raids that burnt towns and fields, looted and destoryed. It had a great impact on civilians.
