The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor
) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the
War of the League of Cambrai
The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and several other names, was fought from February 1508 to December 1516 as part of the Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The main participants of the war, who fough ...
between the
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.
On 1 ...
and the
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland (; , ) was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a la ...
, resulting in an English victory. The battle was fought near
Branxton in the county of
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
in northern England, between an invading Scots army under King
James IV
James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauchi ...
and an English army commanded by the
Earl of Surrey
Earl of Surrey is a title in the Peerage of England that has been created five times. It was first created for William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, William de Warenne, a close Companions of William the Conqueror, companion of William the Con ...
. In terms of troop numbers, it was the largest battle fought between the two kingdoms.
["The Seventy Greatest Battles of All Time". Published by Thames & Hudson Ltd. 2005. Edited by Jeremy Black. Pages 95 to 97..]
After besieging and capturing several English border castles, James encamped his invading army on a commanding hilltop position at Flodden and awaited the English force which had been sent against him, declining a challenge to fight in an open field. Surrey's army therefore carried out a circuitous march to position themselves in the rear of the Scottish camp. The Scots countered this by abandoning their camp and occupying the adjacent Branxton Hill, denying it to the English. The battle began with an artillery duel followed by a downhill advance by Scottish infantry armed with pikes. Unknown to the Scots, an area of marshy land lay in their path, which had the effect of breaking up their formations. This gave the English troops the chance to bring about a close-quarter battle, for which they were better equipped. James IV was killed in the fighting, becoming the last monarch from
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
to die in battle; this and the loss of a large proportion of the nobility led to a political crisis in Scotland. British historians sometimes use the Battle of Flodden to mark the end of the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
in the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
; another candidate is the
Battle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York that extended across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 Augu ...
in 1485.
Background
Centuries of intermittent warfare between England and Scotland had been formally brought to an end by the
Treaty of Perpetual Peace
The Treaty of Perpetual Peace was signed by James IV of Scotland and Henry VII of England in 1502. It agreed to end the intermittent warfare between Scotland and England which had been waged over the previous two hundred years, and, although it ...
which was signed in 1502. However, relations were soon soured by repeated cross-border raids, rivalry at sea leading to the death of the Scottish
privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
Andrew Barton and the capture of his ships in 1511, and increasingly bellicose rhetoric by King
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
in claiming to be the overlord of Scotland. Conflict began when
James IV, King of Scots
James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauchi ...
, declared war on England to honour the
Auld Alliance
The Auld Alliance ( Scots for "Old Alliance"; ; ) is an alliance made in 1295 between the kingdoms of Scotland and France against England. The Scots word ''auld'', meaning ''old'', has become a partly affectionate term for the long-lasting a ...
with France by diverting Henry's English troops from their campaign against the French king,
Louis XII
Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the tim ...
. At this time, England was involved as a member of the "
Catholic League" in the
War of the League of Cambrai
The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and several other names, was fought from February 1508 to December 1516 as part of the Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The main participants of the war, who fough ...
, defending Italy and the
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
from the French, a part of the
Italian Wars
The Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...
.
Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X ( it, Leone X; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521.
Born into the prominent political an ...
, already a signatory to the anti-French
Treaty of Mechlin
The Treaty of Mechlin (1513) was an agreement between Henry VIII, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Pope Leo X to form an alliance against France. The treaty was the first of a series of treaties (the others being the Tre ...
, sent a letter to James threatening him with ecclesiastical censure for breaking his peace treaties with England on 28 June 1513, and subsequently James was
excommunicated
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...
by Cardinal
Christopher Bainbridge
Christopher Bainbridge ( 1462/1464 – 14 July 1514) was an English Cardinal of the Catholic Church. Of Westmorland origins, he was a nephew of Bishop Thomas Langton of Winchester, represented the continuation of Langton's influence and teaching ...
. James also summoned sailors and sent the Scottish navy, including the ''
Great Michael
''Michael'', popularly known as ''Great Michael'', was a carrack or great ship of the Royal Scottish Navy. She was the largest ship built by King James IV of Scotland
James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland fr ...
'', to join the ships of Louis XII of France. The fleet of twenty two vessels commanded by
James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran
James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran and 2nd Lord Hamilton (c. 14751529) was a Scottish nobleman, naval commander and first cousin of James IV of Scotland. He also served as the 9th Lord High Admiral of Scotland.
Early life
He was the eldest of ...
, departed from the
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south.
Name
''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...
on 25 July accompanied by James as far as the
Isle of May
The Isle of May is located in the north of the outer Firth of Forth, approximately off the coast of mainland Scotland. It is about long and wide. The island is owned and managed by NatureScot as a national nature reserve. There are now no ...
, intending to pass around the north of Scotland and create a diversion in Ireland before joining the French at
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
*Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
*Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
**Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Brest, ...
, from where it might cut the English line of communication across the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
. However, the fleet was so badly delayed that it played no part in the war; unfortunately, James had sent most of his experienced artillerymen with the expedition, a decision which was to have unforeseen consequences for his land campaign.
Henry was in France with the
Emperor Maximilian at the
siege of Thérouanne. The Scottish
Lyon King of Arms
The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new gran ...
brought James IV's letter of 26 July to him. James asked him to desist from attacking France in breach of their treaty. Henry's exchange with
Islay Herald
Islay Herald of Arms is a Scottish herald of arms of the Court of the Lord Lyon.
The office was first mentioned in 1493. Islay is an island off the west coast of Scotland and was the headquarters of the Lord of the Isles. When the influenc ...
or the
Lyon King on 11 August at his tent at the siege was recorded. The Herald declared that Henry should abandon his efforts against the town and go home. Angered, Henry said that James had no right to summon him, and ought to be England's ally, as James was married to his (Henry's) sister,
Margaret
Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian.
Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...
. He declared:
And now, for a conclusion, recommend me to your master and tell him if he be so hardy to invade my realm or cause to enter one foot of my ground I shall make him as weary of his part as ever was man that began any such business. And one thing I ensure him by the faith that I have to the Crown of England and by the word of a King, there shall never King nor Prince make peace with me that ever his part shall be in it. Moreover, fellow, I care for nothing but for misentreating of my sister, that would God she were in England on a condition she cost the Schottes King not a penny.
Henry also replied by letter on 12 August, writing that James was mistaken and that any of his attempts on England would be resisted. Using the pretext of revenge for the murder of Robert Kerr, a
Warden
A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint.
''Warden'' is etymologically identic ...
of the Scottish East March who had been killed by John "The Bastard" Heron in 1508, James invaded England with an army of about 30,000 men.
However, both sides had been making lengthy preparations for this conflict. Henry VIII had already organised an army and artillery in the north of England to counter the expected invasion. Some of the guns had been returned to use against the Scots by
Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy
Archduchess Margaret of Austria (german: Margarete; french: Marguerite; nl, Margaretha; es, Margarita; 10 January 1480 – 1 December 1530) was Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands from 1507 to 1515 and again from 1519 to 1530. She was the firs ...
. A year earlier,
Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk (144321 May 1524), styled Earl of Surrey from 1483 to 1485 and again from 1489 to 1514, was an English nobleman, soldier and statesman who served four monarchs. He was the eldest son of John Howard, 1st Duk ...
, had been appointed Lieutenant-General of the army of the north and was issued with banners of the
Cross of St George
The Cross of Saint George (russian: Георгиевский крест, Georgiyevskiy krest) is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was initially established by Imperial Russia where it was officially known as the Decoration of ...
and the
Red Dragon of Wales. Only a small number of the light horsemen of the Scottish border had been sent to France. A northern army was maintained with artillery and its expense account starts on 21 July. The first captains were recruited in Lambeth. Many of these soldiers wore green and white Tudor colours. Surrey marched to Doncaster in July and then Pontefract, where he assembled more troops from northern England.
"Ill Raid"
On 5 August, a force estimated at up to 7,000 Scottish
border reivers
Border reivers were Cattle raiding, raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. They included both Scotland, Scottish and England, English people, and they raided the entire border ...
commanded by
Lord Home
Earl of Home ( ) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1605 for Alexander Home of that Ilk, 6th Lord Home. The Earl of Home holds, among others, the subsidiary titles of Lord Home (created 1473), and Lord Dunglass (1605), i ...
, crossed into
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
and began to pillage farms and villages, taking anything of value before burning the houses. Surrey had taken the precaution of sending Sir William Bulmer north with 200 mounted archers, which Bulmer augmented with locally levied men to create a force approaching 1,000 in strength. On 13 August, they prepared an ambush for the Scots as they returned north laden with the spoils of their looting, by hiding in the
broom
A broom (also known in some forms as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. I ...
bushes that grew shoulder-high on
Milfield Plain. Surprising the Scots by a sudden volley of arrows, the English killed as many as 600 of the Scots before they were able to escape, leaving their booty and the Home family banner behind them. Although the "Ill Raid" had little effect on the forthcoming campaign, it may have influenced James's decision not to fight an open battle against Surrey on the same ground. Whether the raid was undertaken solely on Lord Home's initiative, or whether it had been authorised by James is unknown.
Invasion
![Edinburgh 1544](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Edinburgh_1544.png)
On 18 August, five cannon brought down from
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...
to the
Netherbow Port at St Mary's Wynd for the invasion set off towards England dragged by borrowed oxen. On 19 August two ''gross
culverin
A culverin was initially an ancestor of the hand-held arquebus, but later was used to describe a type of medieval and Renaissance cannon. The term is derived from the French "''couleuvrine''" (from ''couleuvre'' "grass snake", following the La ...
s'', four ''culverins pickmoyance'' and six
(mid-sized) ''culverins moyane'' followed with the gunner Robert Borthwick and master carpenter
John Drummond. The King himself set off that night with two hastily prepared standards of
St Margaret
Saint Margaret, St. Margarets, or St. Margaret's may refer to:
People
In chronological order:
* Saint Margaret the Virgin of Antioch (died 304)
* Saint Margaret of Scotland (c. 1045–1093)
* Saint Margaret of England (died 1192)
* Saint Margare ...
and St Andrew.
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...
was regent in England. On 27 August, she issued warrants for the property of all Scotsmen in England to be seized. On hearing of the invasion on 3 September, she ordered
Thomas Lovell
Sir Thomas Lovell, KG (died 1524) was an English soldier and administrator, Speaker of the House of Commons, Secretary to the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Early life
He was fifth son of Sir Thomas Lovell of Barton Bendish in Norf ...
to raise an army in the
Midland counties.
In keeping with his understanding of the medieval code of
chivalry
Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours we ...
, King James sent notice to the English, one month in advance, of his intent to invade. This gave the English time to gather an army. After a muster on the
Burgh Muir
The Burgh Muir is the historic term for an extensive area of land lying to the south of Edinburgh city centre, upon which much of the southern part of the city now stands following its gradual spread and more especially its rapid expansion in th ...
of Edinburgh, the Scottish host moved to Ellemford, to the north of
Duns, Scottish Borders
Duns is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was the county town of the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Berwickshire.
History
Early history
Duns Law, the original site of the town of Duns, has the remains of an Iron Age hillfor ...
, and camped to wait for
Angus
Angus may refer to:
Media
* ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film
* ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record''
Places Australia
* Angus, New South Wales
Canada
* Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario
* East Angus, Quebec
Scotland
* An ...
and
Home
A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...
. The Scottish army, numbering some 42,000 men, crossed the
River Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water ( gd, Abhainn Thuaidh, sco, Watter o Tweid, cy, Tuedd), is a river long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the R ...
into England near
Coldstream
Coldstream ( gd, An Sruthan Fuar , sco, Caustrim) is a town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. A former burgh, Coldstream is the home of the Coldstream Guards, a regiment in the British Army.
Description
Coldstream l ...
; the exact date of the crossing is not recorded, but is generally accepted to have been 22 August. The Scottish troops were unpaid and were only required by
feudal obligation
Feudal duties were the set of reciprocal financial, military and legal obligations among the warrior nobility in a feudal system. Translated into English by Philip Grierson as ''Feudalism'', 1st ed., London, 1952. These duties developed in both E ...
to serve for forty days. Once across the border, a detachment turned south to attack
Wark on Tweed Castle
Wark on Tweed Castle, sometimes referred to as Carham Castle, is a ruined motte-and-bailey castle at the West end of Wark on Tweed in Northumberland. The ruins are a Grade II* listed building.
History
The castle, which was built by Walter Espec ...
, while the bulk of the army followed the course of the Tweed downstream to the northeast to invest the remaining border castles.
![Norham Castle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Norham_Castle.jpg)
On 24 August, James IV held a council or parliament at
Twiselhaugh and made a proclamation for the benefit of the heirs of anyone killed during this invasion. By 29 August after a siege of six days, Bishop
Thomas Ruthall
Thomas Ruthall (also spelled Ruthal, Rowthel or Rowthall; died 4 February 1523) was an English churchman, administrator and diplomat. He was a leading councillor of Henry VIII of England.
Education and early career
He was born at Cirencester. He ...
's
Norham Castle
Norham Castle (sometimes Nornam) is a castle in Northumberland, England, overlooking the River Tweed, on the border between England and Scotland. It is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The castle saw much action during ...
was taken and partly demolished after the Scottish heavy artillery had breached the recently refurbished outer walls. The Scots then moved south, capturing the castles of
Etal
Etal ( )not is a small village in the far north of the county of Northumberland, England, in the civil parish of Ford. It lies on a bridging point of the River Till ten miles south west of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and includes the substantial rui ...
and
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
.
![Ford Castle - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Ford_Castle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1899644.jpg)
A later Scottish chronicle writer,
Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie
Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie (also Lindesay or Lyndsay; c. 1532–1580) was a Scottish chronicler, author of ''The Historie and Chronicles of Scotland, 1436–1565'', the first history of Scotland to be composed in Scots rather than Lati ...
, tells the story that James wasted valuable time at Ford enjoying the company of Elizabeth, Lady Heron and her daughter.
Edward Hall
Edward Hall ( – ) was an English lawyer and historian, best known for his ''The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Families of Lancastre and Yorke''—commonly known as ''Hall's Chronicle''—first published in 1548. He was also sever ...
says that Lady Heron was a prisoner (in Scotland), and negotiated with James IV and the Earl of Surrey her own release and that Ford Castle would not be demolished for an exchange of prisoners. The English herald,
Rouge Croix, came to Ford to appoint a place for battle on 4 September, with extra instructions that any Scottish
herald
A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms.
Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen to ...
s who were sent to Surrey were to be met where they could not view the English forces.
Raphael Holinshed
Raphael Holinshed ( – before 24 April 1582) was an English chronicler, who was most famous for his work on ''The Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande'', commonly known as ''Holinshed's Chronicles''. It was the "first complete printe ...
's story is that a part of the Scottish army returned to Scotland, and the rest stayed at Ford waiting for Norham to surrender and debating their next move. James IV wanted to fight and considered moving to assault
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...
, but the Earl of Angus spoke against this and said that Scotland had done enough for France. James sent Angus home, and according to Holinshed, the Earl burst into tears and left, leaving his two sons, the
Master of Angus and
Glenbervie
Glenbervie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Gleann Biorbhaidh'', Scots: ''Bervie'') is located in the north east of Scotland in the Howe o' the Mearns, one mile from the village of Drumlithie and eight miles south of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. The river Be ...
, with most of the Douglas kindred to fight.
In the meantime, Surrey was reluctant to commit his army too early, since once in the field they had to be paid and fed at enormous expense. From his encampment at
Pontefract
Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wake ...
, he issued an order for forces raised in the northern counties to assemble at
Newcastle on Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is als ...
on 1 September. Surrey had 500 soldiers with him and was to be joined at Newcastle by 1,000 experienced soldiers and sailors with their artillery, who would arrive by sea under the command of Surrey's son, also called
Thomas Howard, the
Lord High Admiral of England
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
. By 28 August, Surrey had arrived at
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...
where he was presented with the banner of Saint
Cuthbert
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Nort ...
, which had been carried by the English in victories against the Scots in 1138 and 1346. On 3 September, Surrey moved his advanced guard to
Alnwick
Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116.
The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish bor ...
while he awaited the completion of the muster and the arrival of the Lord Admiral whose ships had been delayed by storms.
Surrey's challenge
![Flodden Hill Wood - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Flodden_Hill_Wood_-_geograph.org.uk_-_95487.jpg)
On Sunday 4 September, James and the Scottish army had taken up a position at Flodden Edge, a hill to the south of Branxton. This was an immensely strong natural feature, since the flanks were protected by marshes on one side and steep slopes on the other, leaving only a direct approach. The amount of fortification which James constructed on the hill is disputed; several
antiquaries
An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...
had mapped supposed
rampart
Rampart may refer to:
* Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement
Rampart may also refer to:
* "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the ...
s and
bastion
A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...
s there over the centuries, but excavations conducted between 2009 and 2015 found no trace of 16th century work and concluded that James may have reused some features of an
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
hill fort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
.
The Earl of Surrey, writing at
Wooler
Wooler ( ) is a small town in Northumberland, England. It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, near the Cheviot Hills. It is a popular base for walkers and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots". As well as many shops ...
Haugh on Wednesday 7 September, compared this position to a fortress in a challenge sent to James IV by his herald,
Thomas Hawley
Thomas Hawley (died 22 August 1557) was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He began his career of royal service as a groom porter to Queen Margaret of Scotland from her marriage in 1503 until 1508. Although he ma ...
, the
Rouge Croix Pursuivant
Rouge Croix Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary is a junior officer of arms of the College of Arms. He is said to be the oldest of the four pursuivants in ordinary. The office is named after St George's Cross which has been a symbol of England since th ...
. Surrey complained that James had sent his
Islay Herald
Islay Herald of Arms is a Scottish herald of arms of the Court of the Lord Lyon.
The office was first mentioned in 1493. Islay is an island off the west coast of Scotland and was the headquarters of the Lord of the Isles. When the influenc ...
, agreeing that they would join in battle on Friday between 12 noon and 3 pm, and asked that James would face him on the plain at
Milfield
Milfield is a village in Northumberland, England about northwest of Wooler. The A697 road passes through the village.
History
Milfield is the likely location of the Northumbrian royal settlement of Maelmin, given "mael" is a Brythonic word ...
as appointed. James had no intention of leaving his carefully prepared position, perhaps recalling the fate of the Ill Raid on the same plain; he replied to Surrey that it was "not fitting for an Earl to seek to command a King". This put Surrey in a difficult position; the choice was to make a frontal attack on Flodden Edge, uphill in the face of the Scottish guns in their prepared position and in all probability be defeated, or to refuse battle, earning disgrace and the anger of King Henry. Waiting for James to make a move was not an option because his 26,000 strong army desperately needed resupply, the convoy of wagons bringing food and beer for the troops from Newcastle having been ambushed and looted by local Englishmen. During a council of war on Wednesday evening, an ingenious alternative plan was devised, advised by "the Bastard" Heron, who had intimate local knowledge and had recently arrived at the English camp.
Battle
Initial manoeuvres
![Twizel Bridge - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Twizel_Bridge_-_geograph.org.uk_-_78955.jpg)
During Thursday, 8 September, Surrey moved his army from Wooler Haugh and instead of heading northwest towards Flodden, he turned east across the River Till. From there, the English picked up the old
Roman road
Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...
known as the
Devil's Causeway
The Devil's Causeway is a Roman road in Northumberland, in North East England. It branches off Dere Street north of Corbridge and can be traced through Northumberland for about north to Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Description
The Devil's Causeway i ...
and headed north, making camp at Barmoor, near
Lowick. James may have assumed that Surrey was heading for Berwick-upon-Tweed for resupply, but he was actually intending to outflank the Scots and either attack or blockade them from the rear. At 5 am on the morning of Friday, 9 September, after a damp night on short rations and having to drink water from streams because the beer had run out, Surrey's men set off westwards to complete their manoeuvre. Their objective was Branxton Hill, lying less than north of James's camp at Flodden. In order to re-cross the River Till, the English army split into two; one force under Surrey crossed by means of several
ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
s near
Heaton Castle
Heaton Castle (anciently Heton) in the parish of Cornhill-on-Tweed, Northumberland, England, is a ruined historic castle near the Scottish border.
It is situated in an elevated position above the south bank of the River Till, 4 miles north-east o ...
, while a larger
vanguard
The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force.
History
The vanguard derives fr ...
numbering some 15,000 commanded by the Lord Admiral and including the artillery train, crossed at
Twizell Bridge
Twizell Bridge (also spelt Twizel Bridge) is a Tudor arch bridge which crosses the River Till near Duddo, Northumberland in the Northeast of England. It is a Grade II* listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument and no longer carries ve ...
downstream.
![Map of Flodden Field 1859](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Map_of_Flodden_Field_1859.png)
Pitscottie says the vanguard crossed the bridge at 11 am and that James would not allow the Scots artillery to fire on the vulnerable English during this manoeuvre. This is not credible, since the bridge is some distant from Flodden, but James's scouts must have reported their approach. James quickly saw the threat and ordered his army to break camp and move to Branxton Hill, a commanding position which would deny the feature to the English and still give his pike formations the advantage of a downhill attack if the opportunity arose. The disadvantage was that the Scots were moving onto ground that had not been reconnoitered. The Lord Admiral, arriving with his vanguard at Branxton village, was unaware of the new Scottish position which was obscured by smoke from burning rubbish; when he finally caught sight of the Scottish army arrayed on Branxton Hill, he sent a messenger to his father urging him to hurry and also sending his
Agnus Dei
is the Latin name under which the " Lamb of God" is honoured within the Catholic Mass and other Christian liturgies descending from the Latin liturgical tradition. It is the name given to a specific prayer that occurs in these liturgies, and ...
pendant to underline the gravity of his situation. In the meantime, he positioned his troops in dead ground from where he hoped that the Scots could not assess the size of his force. James declined to attack the vulnerable vanguard, reportedly saying that he was "determined to have them all in front of me on one plain field and see what all of them can do against me".
Opposing forces
![Arrangement of Troops at the Battle of Flodden 1859](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Arrangement_of_Troops_at_the_Battle_of_Flodden_1859.png)
James' army, somewhat reduced from the original 42,000 by sickness and desertion, still amounted to about 34,000, outnumbering the English force by 8,000. The Scottish army was organised into four divisions or
battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
s. That on the left wing was commanded by the Earls of Home and
Huntley and consisted of a combination of Borderers and
Highlanders. Next in the line was the battle commanded by the Earls of
Erroll,
Crawford
Crawford may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crawford Bay Airport, British Columbia
* Crawford Lake Conservation Area, Ontario
United Kingdom
* Crawford, Lancashire, a small village near Rainford, Merseyside, England
* Crawford, South Lanarkshire, a ...
and
Montrose composed of men from the northeast of Scotland. The third was commanded by James himself together with his son Alexander and the Earls of Cassillis, Rothes and Caithness. On the right, the Earls of
Argyll
Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland.
Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...
and
Lennox commanded a force drawn from the
Highlands and Islands
The Highlands and Islands is an area of Scotland broadly covering the Scottish Highlands, plus Orkney, Shetland and Outer Hebrides (Western Isles).
The Highlands and Islands are sometimes defined as the area to which the Crofters' Act of 1886 ...
. Some sources state that there was a fifth battle acting as a reserve, perhaps commanded by the
Earl of Bothwell
Earl of Bothwell was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. It was first created for Patrick Hepburn in 1488, and was forfeited in 1567. Subsequently, the earldom was re-created for the 4th Earl's nephew and heir of line, F ...
. The Scottish infantry had been equipped with long
pike
Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to:
Fish
* Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus''
* Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes
* ''Esox'', genus of ...
s by their French allies; a new weapon which had proved devastating in continental Europe, but required training, discipline and suitable terrain to use effectively. The Scottish artillery, consisting mainly of heavy
siege gun
Siege artillery (also siege guns or siege cannons) are heavy guns designed to bombard fortifications, cities, and other fixed targets. They are distinct from field artillery and are a class of siege weapon capable of firing heavy cannonballs or ...
s, included five great curtals and two great
culverin
A culverin was initially an ancestor of the hand-held arquebus, but later was used to describe a type of medieval and Renaissance cannon. The term is derived from the French "''couleuvrine''" (from ''couleuvre'' "grass snake", following the La ...
s (known as "the Seven Sisters"), together with four
sakers, and six great serpentines. These modern weapons fired an iron ball weighing up to to a range of . However, the heaviest of these required a team of 36 oxen to move each one and were only able to fire once every twenty minutes at the most. They were commanded by the king's secretary,
Patrick Paniter
Patrick Paniter (born c. 1470 - 1519) Scottish churchman and principal secretary to James IV of Scotland and the infant James V. The surname is usually written ''Paniter'', or ''Painter'', or occasionally ''Panter''.
Life
Paniter was born around ...
, an able diplomat, but who had no artillery experience.
Upon Surrey's arrival, he deployed his troops on the forward slope of Piper Hill to match the Scottish dispositions. On his right, facing Hume and Huntley, was a battle composed of men from Cheshire, Lancashire and Yorkshire, commanded by Surrey's third son,
Lord Edmund Howard
Lord Edmund Howard ( – 19 March 1539) was the third son of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, and his first wife, Elizabeth Tilney. His sister, Elizabeth, was the mother of Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn, and he was the father of the ...
. Of the central battles, one was commanded by the Lord Admiral and the other by Surrey himself.
Sir Edward Stanley
Edward Stanley, 1st Baron Monteagle KG (1460?–1523) was an English soldier who became a peer and Knight of the Garter. He is known for his deeds at the Battle of Flodden.
Life
Born about 1460, he was fifth son of Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of D ...
's force of cavalry and archers had been the last to leave Barmoor and would not arrive on the left flank until later in the day. A reserve of mounted Borderers commanded by Thomas,
Baron Dacre
Baron Dacre is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England, every time by writ.
History
The first creation came in 1321 when Ralph Dacre was summoned to Parliament as Lord Dacre. He married Margaret, 2nd Baroness Mult ...
were positioned to the rear. The English infantry were equipped with traditional
polearm
A polearm or pole weapon is a close combat weapon in which the main fighting part of the weapon is fitted to the end of a long shaft, typically of wood, thereby extending the user's effective range and striking power. Polearms are predominantly ...
s, mostly
bill
Bill(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States)
* Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature
* Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer
* Bill, a bird or animal's beak
Plac ...
s which were their favoured weapon. There was also a large contingent of well-trained
archer
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In mo ...
s armed with the
English longbow
The English longbow was a powerful medieval type of bow, about long. While it is debated whether it originated in England or in Wales from the Welsh bow, by the 14th century the longbow was being used by both the English and the Welsh as a ...
. The English artillery consisted of light
field gun
A field gun is a field artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march, that when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances ( field artille ...
s of rather old-fashioned design, typically firing a ball of only about , but they were easily handled and capable of rapid fire.
Engagement
At about 4 pm on Friday in wet and windy weather, James began the battle with an artillery duel, but his big guns did not perform as well as he had hoped. Contemporary accounts put this down to the difficulty for the Scots of shooting downhill, but another factor must have been that their guns had been poorly sited instead of being carefully emplaced, which was usually required for such heavy weapons, further slowing their ponderous rate of fire. This may explain English claims that the Scottish guns were destroyed by return fire, when in fact they were captured undamaged after the battle. The apparent silence of the Scottish artillery allowed the light English guns to turn a rapid fire on the massed ranks of infantry, although the effectiveness of this bombardment is difficult to assess.
The next phase started when Home and Huntley's battle on the Scottish left advanced downhill towards the opposite troops commanded by Edmund Howard. They advanced, according to the English, "in good order, after the Alamayns
.e. Germanmanner, without speaking a word". The Scots had placed their most heavily armoured men in the front rank, so that the English archers had little impact. The outnumbered English battle was forced back and elements of it began to run off. Surrey saved his son from disaster by ordering the intervention of Dacre's light horsemen, who were able to approach unobserved in the dead ground that had been exploited earlier by the vanguard. The eventual result was a stalemate in which both sides stood off from each other and played no further part in the battle. According to later accounts, when Huntley suggested that they rejoin the fighting, Home replied: "the man does well this day who saves himself: we fought those who were opposed to us and beat them; let our other companies do the same!".
![Battle Scene, by Hans Holbein the Younger](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Battle_Scene%2C_by_Hans_Holbein_the_Younger.jpg)
In the meantime, James had observed Home and Huntley's initial success and ordered the advance of the next battle in line, commanded by Errol, Crawford and Montrose. At the foot of Branxton Hill, they encountered an unforeseen obstacle, an area of marshy ground, identified by modern
hydrologist
Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...
s as a groundwater seepage zone, made worse by days of heavy rain. As they struggled to cross the waterlogged ground, the Scots lost the cohesion and momentum on which pike formations depended for success. Once the line was disrupted, the long pikes became an unwieldy encumbrance, and the Scots began to drop them "so that it seemed as if a wood were falling down" according to a later English poem. Reaching for their side-arms of swords and axes, they found themselves outreached by the English bills in the close-quarter fighting that developed.
![The Battle of Flodden](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/The_Battle_of_Flodden.jpg)
It is unclear whether James had seen the difficulty encountered by the battle of the three earls, but he followed them down the slope regardless, making for Surrey's formation. James has been criticised for placing himself in the front line, thereby putting himself in personal danger and losing his overview of the field. He was, however, well-known for taking risks in battle and it would have been out of character for him to stay back. Encountering the same difficulties as the previous attack, James's men nevertheless fought their way to Surrey's bodyguard but no further. The final uncommitted Scottish formation, Argyll and Lennox's Highlanders, held back, perhaps awaiting orders. The last English formation to engage was Stanley's force which, after following a circuitous route from Barmoor, finally arrived on the right of the Scottish line. They loosed volleys of arrows into the Argyll and Lennox's battle, whose men lacked armour or any other effective defence against the archers. After suffering heavy casualties the Highlanders scattered.
The fierce fighting continued, centred on the contest between Surrey and James. As other English formations overcame the Scottish forces they had initially engaged, they moved to reinforce their leader. An instruction to English troops that no prisoners were to be taken explains the exceptional mortality amongst the Scottish nobility. James himself was killed in the final stage of the battle; his body was found surrounded by the corpses of his bodyguard of the Archers' Guard, recruited from the
Forest of Ettrick and known as "the Flowers of the Forest". Despite having the finest armour available, the king's corpse was found to have two arrow wounds, one in the jaw, and wounds from bladed weapons to the neck and wrist. He was the last monarch to die in battle in the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
. Home, Huntley and their troops were the only formation to escape intact; others escaped in small groups, closely pursued by the English.
Tactics and aftermath
Soon after the battle, the council of Scotland decided to send for help from
Christian II of Denmark
Christian II (1 July 1481 – 25 January 1559) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union who reigned as King of Denmark and Norway, from 1513 until 1523, and Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was concurrently Duke ...
. The Scottish ambassador, Andrew Brounhill, was given instructions to explain "how this cais is hapnit." Brounhill's instructions blame James IV for moving down the hill to attack the English on marshy ground from a favourable position, and credits the victory to Scottish inexperience rather than English valour. The letter also mentions that the Scots placed their officers in the front line in medieval style, where they were vulnerable, contrasting this loss of the nobility with the English great men who took their stand with the reserves and at the rear. The English generals stayed behind the lines in the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
style. The loss of so many Scottish officers meant there was no one to co-ordinate a retreat.
However, according to contemporary English reports, Thomas Howard marched on foot leading the English vanguard to the foot of the hill. Howard was moved to dismount and do this by taunts of cowardice sent by James IV's heralds, apparently based on his role at sea and the death two years earlier of the Scottish naval officer Sir
Andrew Barton. A version of Howard's declaration to James IV that he would lead the vanguard and take no prisoners was included in later English chronicle accounts of the battle. Howard claimed his presence in "proper person" at the front was his
trial by combat
Trial by combat (also wager of battle, trial by battle or judicial duel) was a method of Germanic law to settle accusations in the absence of witnesses or a confession in which two parties in dispute fought in single combat; the winner of the ...
for Barton's death.
Weaponry
![English Bill](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/English_Bill.jpg)
Flodden was essentially a victory of the
bill
Bill(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States)
* Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature
* Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer
* Bill, a bird or animal's beak
Plac ...
used by the English over the
pike
Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to:
Fish
* Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus''
* Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes
* ''Esox'', genus of ...
used by the Scots. The pike was an effective weapon only in a battle of movement, especially to withstand a cavalry charge. The Scottish pikes were described by the author of the ''Trewe Encounter'' as "keen and sharp spears 5 yards long". Although the pike had become a Swiss weapon of choice and represented modern warfare, the hilly terrain of Northumberland, the nature of the combat, and the slippery footing did not allow it to be employed to best effect.
Bishop Ruthall reported to
Thomas Wolsey
Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling figur ...
, 'the bills disappointed the Scots of their long spears, on which they relied.' The infantrymen at Flodden, both Scots and English, had fought essentially like their ancestors, and Flodden has been described as the last great medieval battle in the British Isles. This was the last time that bill and pike would come together as equals in battle. Two years later
Francis I of France
Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...
defeated the Swiss pikemen at the
Battle of Marignano
The Battle of Marignano was the last major engagement of the War of the League of Cambrai and took place on 13–14 September 1515, near the town now called Melegnano, 16 km southeast of Milan. It pitted the French army, composed of the be ...
, using a combination of heavy cavalry and artillery, ushering in a new era in the history of war. An official English diplomatic report issued by
Brian Tuke
Sir Brian Tuke (died 1545) was the secretary of Henry VIII and Cardinal Wolsey. He became treasurer of the household.
Life
He may have been the son of Richard Tuke (died 1498?) and Agnes his wife, daughter of John Bland of Nottinghamshire. Th ...
noted the Scots' iron spears and their initial "very good order after the German fashion", but concluded that "the English halberdiers decided the whole affair, so that in the battle the bows and ordnance were of little use."
Despite Tuke's comment (he was not present), this battle was one of the first major engagements in the British Isles where artillery was significantly deployed.
John Lesley
John Lesley (or Leslie) (29 September 1527 – 31 May 1596) was a Scottish Roman Catholic bishop and historian. His father was Gavin Lesley, rector of Kingussie, Badenoch.
Early career
He was educated at the University of Aberdeen, where he ...
, writing sixty years later, noted that the Scottish bullets flew over the English heads while the English cannon was effective: the one army placed so high and the other so low.
The Scots advance down the hill was resisted by a hail of arrows, an incident celebrated in later English ballads. Hall says that the armoured front line was mostly unaffected; this is confirmed by the ballads which note that some few Scots were wounded in the scalp and, wrote Hall, James IV sustained a significant arrow wound. Many of the archers were recruited from
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
and
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
. Sir
Richard Assheton
Richard Assheton (by 1529 – 1579), of Whalley and Downham, Lancashire, was an English politician.
He was a Member of Parliament, Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Aldborough (UK Parliament constituency), Aldborough in 1559 and for C ...
raised one such company from
Middleton, near
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. He rebuilt his parish church
St. Leonard's, Middleton, which contains the unique "Flodden Window." It depicts and names the archers and their priest in stained glass. The window has been called the oldest known war memorial in the UK. The success of the Cheshire yeomanry, under the command of
Richard Cholmeley, led to his later appointment as Lieutenant of the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
.
Honours
![Howard arms (augmented)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Howard_arms_%28augmented%29.svg)
As a reward for his victory, Thomas Howard was subsequently restored to the title of
Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...
, lost by his father's support for
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
. The arms of the Dukes of Norfolk still carry an
augmentation of honour awarded on account of their ancestor's victory at Flodden, a modified version of the
Royal coat of arms of Scotland
The royal arms of Scotland is the official coat of arms of the King of Scots first adopted in the 12th century.
With the Union of the Crowns in 1603, James VI inherited the thrones of England and Ireland and thus his arms in Scotland were now q ...
with the lower half of the lion removed and an arrow through the lion's mouth.
At
Framlingham Castle
Framlingham Castle is a castle in the market town of Framlingham in Suffolk in England. An early motte and bailey or ringwork Norman castle was built on the Framlingham site by 1148, but this was destroyed (Slighting, slighted) by Henry II of E ...
the Duke kept two silver-gilt cups engraved with the arms of James IV, which he bequeathed to
Cardinal Wolsey
Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling figur ...
in 1524. The Duke's descendants presented the
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...
with a sword, a dagger and a turquoise ring in 1681. The family tradition was either that these items belonged to James IV or were arms carried by Thomas Howard at Flodden. The sword blade is signed by the maker Maestre Domingo of
Toledo. There is some doubt whether the weapons are of the correct period. The
Earl of Arundel
Earl of Arundel is a title of nobility in England, and one of the oldest extant in the English peerage. It is currently held by the Duke of Norfolk, and is used (along with the Earl of Surrey) by his heir apparent as a courtesy title. The e ...
was painted by
Philip Fruytiers
Philip Fruytiers (1610–1666) was a Flemish Baroque painter and engraver. Until the 1960s, he was especially known for his miniature portraits in watercolor and gouache. Since then, several large canvases signed with the monogram PHF have be ...
, following
Anthony van Dyck
Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy.
The seventh c ...
's 1639 composition, with his ancestor's sword, gauntlet and helm from Flodden.
Thomas Lord Darcy retrieved a powder flask belonging to James IV and gave it to Henry VIII. A cross with rubies and sapphires with a gold chain worn by James and a hexagonal table-salt with the figure of St Andrews on the lid were given to Henry by
James Stanley,
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with a section of nort ...
.
Legends of a lost king
Lord Dacre
Baron Dacre is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England, every time by Hereditary peer#Writs of summons, writ.
History
The first creation came in 1321 when Ralph Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre, Ralph Dacre was Hereditary peer# ...
discovered the body of James IV on the battlefield. He later wrote that the Scots "love me worst of any Englishman living, by reason that I fande the body of the King of Scots." The chronicle writer
John Stow
John Stow (''also'' Stowe; 1524/25 – 5 April 1605) was an English historian and antiquarian. He wrote a series of chronicles of English history, published from 1565 onwards under such titles as ''The Summarie of Englyshe Chronicles'', ''The C ...
gave a location for the King's death; "Pipard's Hill," now unknown, which may have been the small hill on Branxton Ridge overlooking Branxton church. Dacre took the body to Berwick-upon-Tweed, where according to Hall's ''Chronicle'', it was viewed by the captured Scottish courtiers William Scott and John Forman who acknowledged it was the King's. (Forman, the King's sergeant-porter, had been captured by Richard Assheton of Middleton.) The body was then embalmed and taken to
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
. From
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
, a city that James had promised to capture before
Michaelmas
Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in some Western liturgical calendars on 29 September, a ...
, the body was brought to
Sheen Priory
Sheen Priory (ancient spelling: Shene, Shean, etc.) in Sheen, now Richmond, London, was a Carthusian monastery founded in 1414 within the royal manor of Sheen, on the south bank of the Thames, upstream and approximately 9 miles southwest of th ...
near London. A payment of £12-9s-10d was made for the "sertying ledying and sawdryng of the ded course of the King of Scottes" and carrying it York and to Windsor.
James's banner, sword and his
cuisses
Cuisses (; ; ) are a form of medieval armour worn to protect the thigh. The word is the plural of the French word ''cuisse'' meaning 'thigh'. While the skirt of a maille shirt or tassets of a cuirass could protect the upper legs from above, a th ...
, thigh-armour, were taken to the shrine of Saint Cuthbert at Durham Cathedral. Much of the armour of the Scottish casualties was sold on the field, and 350 suits of armour were taken to
Nottingham Castle
Nottingham Castle is a Stuart Restoration-era ducal mansion in Nottingham, England, built on the site of a Norman castle built starting in 1068, and added to extensively through the medieval period, when it was an important royal fortress and o ...
. A list of horses taken at the field runs to 24 pages.
Thomas Hawley, the Rouge Croix pursuivant, was first with news of the victory. He brought the "rent surcoat of the King of Scots stained with blood" to
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...
at
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey (), occupying the east of the village of Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the family seat of the Duke of Bedford. Although it is still a family home to the current duke, it is open on specified days to visitors, a ...
. She sent news of the victory to Henry VIII at
Tournai
Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...
with Hawley, and then sent John Glyn on 16 September with James's coat (and
iron gauntlets) and a detailed account of the battle written by Lord Howard. Brian Tuke mentioned in his letter to Cardinal Bainbridge that the coat was lacerated and chequered with blood. Catherine suggested Henry should use the coat as his battle-banner, and wrote she had thought to send him the body too, as Henry had sent her the
Duke of Longueville
Duke of Longueville (''Longueville-sur-Scie'') was a title of French nobility, though not a peerage of France.
History
The title was created in 1505 by King Louis XII of France for his first cousin once removed, François d'Orléans, Count of D ...
, his prisoner from Thérouanne, but "Englishmen's hearts would not suffer it."
In addition to these relics, the gold crucifix worn by James IV on the field of battle, set with three balas rubies and three sapphires and containing a fragment of the True Cross, was listed in the jewel book inventory of Henry VIII in the chapel of the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
.
Soon after the battle there were legends that James IV had survived; a Scottish merchant at Tournai in October claimed to have spoken with him, Lindsay of Pitscottie records two myths; "thair cam four great men upon hors, and every ane of thame had ane wisp upoun thair spear headis, quhairby they might know one another and brought the king furth of the feild, upoun ane dun hackney," and also that the king escaped from the field but was killed between Duns and Kelso. Similarly, John Lesley adds that the body taken to England was "my lord Bonhard" and James was seen in Kelso after the battle and then went secretly on pilgrimage in far nations.
A legend arose that James had been warned against invading England by supernatural powers. While he was praying in St Michael's Kirk at
Linlithgow
Linlithgow (; gd, Gleann Iucha, sco, Lithgae) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a ...
, a man strangely dressed in blue had approached his
desk
A desk or bureau is a piece of furniture with a flat table (furniture), table-style work surface used in a school, office, home or the like for academic, professional or domestic activities such as reading (activity), reading, writing, or using ...
saying his mother had told him to say James should not to go to war or take the advice of women. Then before the King could reply, the man vanished.
David Lindsay of the Mount
Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount (c. 1490 – c. 1555; ''alias'' Lindsay) was a Scottish herald who gained the highest heraldic office of Lyon King of Arms. He remains a well regarded poet whose works reflect the spirit of the Renaissance, spec ...
and John Inglis could find no trace of him. The historian R. L. Mackie wondered if the incident really happened as a masquerade orchestrated by an anti-war party:
Norman Macdougall
Norman Macdougall is a Scottish historian who is known for writing about Scottish crown politics. He was a senior lecturer in Scottish history at the University of St Andrews.
Macdougall has written biographies of the kings James III of Scotland ...
doubts if there was a significant anti-war faction. Three other portents of disaster were described by
Paolo Giovio
Paolo Giovio (also spelled ''Paulo Jovio''; Latin: ''Paulus Jovius''; 19 April 1483 – 11 December 1552) was an Italian physician, historian, biographer, and prelate.
Early life
Little is known about Giovio's youth. He was a native of Com ...
in 1549 and repeated in John Polemon's 1578 account of the battle. When James was in council at the camp at Flodden Edge, a
hare
Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...
ran out of his tent and escaped the weapons of his knights; it was found that mice had gnawed away the strings and buckle of the King's helmet; and in the morning his tent was spreckled with a bloody dew.
Scotland after Flodden
The wife of James IV, Margaret Tudor, is said to have awaited news of her husband at
Linlithgow Palace
The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are located in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. Although mai ...
, where a room at the top of a tower is called 'Queen Margaret's bower'. Ten days after the Battle of Flodden, the Lords of Council met at
Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
on 19 September, and set up a General Council of the Realm "to sit upon the daily council for all matters occurring in the realm" of thirty-five lords including clergymen, lords of parliament, and two of the minor barons, the lairds of
The Bass
The Bass Rock, or simply the Bass (), ( gd, Creag nam Bathais or gd, Am Bas) is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland. Approximately offshore, and north-east of North Berwick, it is a steep-sided volcani ...
and Inverrugy. This committee was intended to rule in the name of Margaret Tudor and her son
James V of Scotland
James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of James IV of Sco ...
.
The full
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council o ...
met at
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...
on 21 October, where the 17-month-old King was crowned in the Chapel Royal. The General Council of Lords made special provisions for the heirs of those killed at Flodden, following a declaration made by James IV at Twiselhaugh, and protection for their widows and daughters. Margaret Tudor remained guardian or 'tutrix' of the King, but was not made
Regent of Scotland
A regent is a person selected to act as head of state (ruling or not) because minority reign, the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there is only one ruling Regency (government), Regency in the world, sovereign Liechtens ...
.
The French soldier
Antoine d'Arces
Antoine d'Arcy, sieur de la Bastie-sur-Meylan and of Lissieu, (d. 17 September 1517) was a French nobleman involved in the government of Scotland.
The White Knight
Antoine d'Arces, or d'Arcy, is usually known as "De la Bastie" or "Labatie" in Sco ...
arrived at
Dumbarton Castle
Dumbarton Castle ( gd, Dùn Breatainn, ; ) has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a volcanic plug of basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high and overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton.
History
Dumba ...
in November with a shipload of armaments which were transported to Stirling. The English already knew the details of this planned shipment from a paper found in a bag at Flodden field. Now that James IV was dead, Antoine d'Arces promoted the appointment of
John Stewart, Duke of Albany
John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany (8 July 14822 July 1536) was the regent of the Kingdom of Scotland and the count of Auvergne and Lauraguais in France.
Early life
John was a son of Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, son of King James II of S ...
, a grandson of
James II of Scotland
James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was King of Scots from 1437 until his death in 1460. The eldest surviving son of James I of Scotland, he succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of six, following the assassination of his father. ...
as Regent to rule Scotland instead of Margaret and her son. Albany, who lived in France, came to Scotland on 26 May 1515. By that date Margaret had given birth to James's posthumous son
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
and married the
Earl of Angus
The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish Provinces of Scotland, province of Angus, Scotland, Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is held by the Duke of Hamilton, and is used as a courtesy title for the eldes ...
.
A later sixteenth-century Scottish attitude to the futility of the battle was given by Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie, in the words he attributed to
Patrick Lord Lindsay at council before the engagement. Lord Lindsay advised the King withdraw, comparing their situation to an honest merchant playing dice with a trickster, and wagering a gold
rose-noble against a bent halfpenny. Their King was the gold piece, England the trickster, and Thomas Howard the halfpenny.
Casualties
![Flodden memorial](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Flodden_memorial.jpg)
Surrey's army lost 1,500 men killed in battle.
[ There were various conflicting accounts of the Scottish loss. A contemporary account produced in French for the Royal Postmaster of England, in the immediate aftermath of the battle, states that about 10,000 Scots were killed,] a claim repeated by Henry VIII on 16 September while he was still uncertain of the death of James IV. William Knight sent the news from Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
to Rome on 20 September, claiming 12,000 Scots had died, with fewer than 500 English casualties. Italian newsletters put the Scottish losses at 18,000 or 20,000 and the English at 5,000. Brian Tuke, the English Clerk of the Signet, sent a newsletter stating 10,000 Scots killed and 10,000 escaped the field. Tuke reckoned the total Scottish invasion force to have been 60,000 and the English army at 40,000. George Buchanan
George Buchanan ( gd, Seòras Bochanan; February 1506 – 28 September 1582) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth century Scotland produced." ...
wrote in his ''History of Scotland'' (published in 1582) that, according to the lists that were compiled throughout the counties of Scotland, there were about 5,000 killed. A plaque on the monument to the 2nd Duke of Norfolk (as the Earl of Surrey became in 1514) at Thetford
Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , in 2015 had a population of 24,340 ...
put the figure at 17,000.[ Edward Hall, thirty years after, wrote in his ''Chronicle'' that "12,000 at the least of the best gentlemen and flower of Scotland" were slain.
As the nineteenth-century antiquarian John Riddell supposed, nearly every noble family in Scotland would have lost a member at Flodden. The dead are remembered by the song (and pipe tune) "]Flowers of the Forest
''Flowers of the Forest'', or ''The Fluuers o the Forest'' (Roud 3812), is a Scottish folk tune and work of war poetry commemorating the defeat of the Scottish army, and the death of James IV, at the Battle of Flodden in September 1513. Although ...
":
::We'll hae nae mair lilting, at the yowe-milking,
::Women and bairns are dowie and wae.
::Sighing and moaning, on ilka green loaning,
::The flowers of the forest are all wede away.
Contemporary English ballads also recalled the significance of the Scottish losses:
::To tell you plaine, twelve thousand were slaine,
::that to the fight did stand;
::And many prisoners tooke that day,
::the best in all Scotland.
::That day made many a fatherlesse childe,
::and many a widow poore;
::And many a Scottish gay Lady,
::sate weeping in her bowre.
A legend grew that while the artillery was being prepared in Edinburgh before the battle, a demon called Plotcock had read out the names of those who would be killed at the Mercat Cross on the Royal Mile
The Royal Mile () is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'' (1901), des ...
. According to Pitscottie, a former Provost of Edinburgh
The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is the convener of the City of Edinburgh local authority, who is elected by City_of_Edinburgh_Council, the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the e ...
, Richard Lawson, who lived nearby, threw a coin at the Cross to appeal against this summons and survived the battle.
Branxton Church was the site of some burials from the Battle of Flodden.
After Flodden many Scottish nobles are believed to have been brought to Yetholm
Yetholm is the parish that contained the villages of Kirk Yetholm and Town Yetholm in the east of the former county of Roxburghshire, nowadays in the Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìoc ...
for interment, as being the nearest consecrated ground in Scotland.
Notable Scotsmen who died
Royalty
* James IV, King of Scots
James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauchi ...
(1473–1513, r. 1488-1513)[Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII](_blank)
Vol.1: 1509–1514: ''Archaeologia Aeliana or Miscellaneous Tracts'' Vol. 6 (1862)[''Scots Peerage''](_blank)
Vol.I, ed. Sir James Balfour Paul
Sir James Balfour Paul (16 November 1846 – 15 September 1931) was the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the officer responsible for heraldry in Scotland, from 1890 until the end of 1926.
Life
Paul was born in Edinburgh, the second son of the Rev J ...
Clergy
* Alexander Stewart, Archbishop of St Andrews
The Bishop of St. Andrews ( gd, Easbaig Chill Rìmhinn, sco, Beeshop o Saunt Andras) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews in the Catholic Church and then, from 14 August 1472, as Archbishop of St Andrews ( gd, Àrd-easbaig ...
and Lord Chancellor of Scotland
The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally the Lord High Chancellor, was a Great Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland.
Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower st ...
, illegitimate son of James IV
* George Hepburn, Bishop of the Isles
The Bishop of the Isles or Bishop of Sodor was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of the Isles (or Sodor), one of Scotland's thirteen medieval bishoprics. The bishopric, encompassing both the Hebrides and Mann, probably traces its origins as ...
and commendator of Arbroath
Arbroath () or Aberbrothock ( gd, Obar Bhrothaig ) is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus, Scotland, with a population of 23,902.
It lies on the North Sea coast some ENE of Dundee and SSW of Aberdeen.
The ...
and Iona
Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there ...
* William Bunche, Abbot of Kilwinning
The Abbot of Kilwinning (later Commendator of Kilwinning) was the head of the Tironensians, Tironensian monastic community and lands of Kilwinning Abbey, Cunninghame, Cunningham (now in North Ayrshire), founded between 1162 and 1167. The patron is ...
* Laurence Oliphant, Abbot of Inchaffray
The Abbot of Inchaffray, before 1221 Prior of Inchaffray, and then by the end of the 15th century, the Commendator of Inchaffray, was the head of the community of Augustinian canons of Inchaffray Abbey and their lands. Inchaffray is in Strathea ...
* Sir William Knollys, Lord St. John, Lord High Treasurer of Scotland
The Treasurer was a senior post in the pre- Union government of Scotland, the Privy Council of Scotland.
Lord Treasurer
The full title of the post was ''Lord High Treasurer, Comptroller, Collector-General and Treasurer of the New Augmentation'', ...
, prior of Torphichen Preceptory
Torphichen Preceptory is a church in the village of Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland. It comprises the remains of the preceptory (headquarters) of the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in Scotland. The placename may be ...
.
Earls
* Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll
Gillespie Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll ( – 9 September 1513) was a Scottish nobleman and politician who was killed at the Battle of Flodden.
Biography
Archibald was the eldest son of Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll and Isabel Ste ...
* Adam Hepburn, 2nd Earl of Bothwell
Adam Hepburn, 2nd Earl of Bothwell (born c. 1492, died 9 September 1513) was a Scottish nobleman, who succeeded his father Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell in 1508. Prior to that, he was known by one of his territorial designations, Adam He ...
, Lord High Admiral of Scotland
The Lord High Admiral of Scotland was one of the Great Officers of State of the Kingdom of Scotland before the Union with England in 1707.
The office was one of considerable power, also known as ''Royal Scottish Admiralty'', including command ...
* William Sinclair, 2nd Earl of Caithness
William Sinclair (1459 – 9 September 1513) was a nobleman, the 2nd Earl of Caithness and chief of the Clan Sinclair, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands.
Early life
William Sinclair, 2nd Earl of Caithness was born at Ravenscraig Cast ...
* David Kennedy, 1st Earl of Cassilis
David Kennedy, 3rd Lord Kennedy and 1st Earl of Cassilis (After 1463 – 9 September 1513) was a Scottish peer, the son of John Kennedy, 2nd Lord Kennedy. He was born about 1463, in Maybole, Ayrshire, Scotland. He was a Privy Councillor of King ...
* John Lindsay, 6th Earl of Crawford
John Lindsay, 6th Earl of Crawford (before 1483–1513) was an Earl of Crawford.
He was the son of David Lindsay, 1st Duke of Montrose and Elizabeth Hamilton, and married Marion Home.
He fought with Huntly, Argyle, Marichal and Lovat against Do ...
* William Hay, 4th Earl of Erroll
William Hay, 4th Earl of Erroll (1470 – 9 September 1513), styled as Lord Hay until 1507, was a Scottish peer and soldier. He was killed at the Battle of Flodden.
Biography
William Hay was the son of William Hay, 3rd Earl of Erroll. He ha ...
, Lord High Constable of Scotland
The Lord High Constable is a hereditary, now ceremonial, office of Scotland. In the order of precedence of Scotland, the office traditionally ranks above all titles except those of the Royal Family.p60-61, Bruce, Alistair, Keepers of the King ...
* Matthew Stewart, 2nd Earl of Lennox
Matthew Stewart, 2nd Earl of Lennox (14609 September 1513), was a prominent Scottish nobleman. Stewart was the son of John Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox, and Margaret Montgomerie, daughter of Alexander Montgomerie, 1st Lord Montgomerie. He died f ...
* William Graham, 1st Earl of Montrose
William Graham, 1st Earl of Montrose (1464 – 9 September 1513) was a Scottish Lord of Parliament, who was raised to an earldom by James IV of Scotland and who died with his monarch at the Battle of Flodden.
Origins
Montrose was the eldest son a ...
* John Douglas, 2nd Earl of Morton
John Douglas, 2nd Earl of Morton died 9 September 1513 at the Battle of Flodden.
Life
He was the son of James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton and Princess Joan Stewart, Countess of Morton, daughter of James I of Scotland by his wife Lady Joan Be ...
* William Leslie, 3rd Earl of Rothes
William Leslie (died 9 September 1513), 3rd Earl of Rothes, was the son of Andrew Leslie, Master of Rothes, and Marjory (also known as Elizabeth) Sinclair, daughter of William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness. He succeeded his elder brother George L ...
Lords of Parliament
* Andrew Stewart, 1st Lord Avondale
* William Borthwick, 3rd Lord Borthwick
Sir William Borthwick, 3rd Lord Borthwick (died 20 May 1503) was a Scottish nobleman, ambassador, and Master of the King's Household in 1485.
The son of William Borthwick, 2nd Lord Borthwick (died c. 1483), the 3rd Lord Borthwick was knighted be ...
* Alexander Elphinstone, 1st Lord Elphinstone
Alexander Elphinstone, 1st Lord Elphinstone (died 9 September 1513) was a Scottish peer. He was the son of Sir John Elphinstone of that ilk and of Pittendreich.
He was first known as "Alexander Elphinstone of Innernochty". He was made Baillie o ...
.
* Thomas Stewart, 2nd Lord Innermeath
* John Maxwell, 4th Lord Maxwell
John Maxwell, 4th Lord Maxwell (died 9 September 1513) was a Scottish nobleman and patriarch of the Border Family / House / Clan of Maxwell.
Origins
Maxwell was the eldest son and heir of John Maxwell, 3rd Lord Maxwell (died 1484) and Janet, the ...
* John Ross, 2nd Lord Ross
John Ross, 2nd Lord Ross of Halkhead (died 1513) was a Scottish nobleman.
Origins
Ross was the son and heir of Robert Ross (the son of John Ross, 1st Lord Ross) and Agnes Melville, daughter and heiress of Thomas Melville of Melville. The Rosses o ...
* George Seton, 5th Lord Seton
George Seton III, 5th Lord Seton (died 9 September 1513) was a Scottish nobleman. He is sometimes referred to as the 3rd Lord Seton because he was the 3rd Lord Seton with the name of George.
He succeeded his father, the 4th Lord, on his death in ...
* John Sempill, 1st Lord Sempill
John Sempill, 1st Lord Sempill of Eliotstoun (died 9 September 1513) was a Scottish peer.
Career
John Sempill was the founder of Castle Semple Collegiate Church near Lochwinnoch. He was created Lord Sempill in the Peerage of Scotland around 148 ...
* Henry Sinclair, 4th Lord Sinclair
Henry Sinclair (died 1513) was a Scottish noble and the 4th Lord Sinclair. In ''The Scots Peerage'' by James Balfour Paul he is designated as the 3rd Lord Sinclair, but historian Roland Saint-Clair designates him the 4th Lord Sinclair and referen ...
* Robert Erskine, 4th Lord Erskine
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
Other chieftains, nobles and knights
* Robert Arnot of Woodmill. Comptroller of Scotland The Comptroller of Scotland was a post in the pre-Union government of Scotland.
The Treasurer of Scotland, Treasurer and Comptroller had originated in 1425 when the Chamberlain of Scotland, Chamberlain's financial functions were transferred to them ...
* Sir Nicolas Fortheringham 4th Laird of Powrie
* Sir Duncan Campbell of Glenorchy
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English language, English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist i ...
* Sir Iain (John) MacFarlane 11th Baron of Arrochar, 8th Chief of Clan MacFarlane
* Sir William Cockburn of Langton and his eldest son and heir Alexander
* Sir Robert Crawford of Kilbirnie
* William Cunningham, 1st Laird of Craigends
* George Douglas, Master of Angus
George Douglas, Master of Angus (1469 – 9 September 1513) was a Scottish Nobleman. The son of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus and Elizabeth Boyd, daughter of Robert Boyd, 1st Lord Boyd, he was born at Tantallon Castle and died at the Bat ...
* Sir William Douglas 6th of Drumlanrig
* Sir William Douglas of Glenbervie
Sir William Douglas of Glenbervie, Knt. (c. 1473 – 9 September 1513) was a Scottish nobleman, who fell at Flodden. Biography
Douglas was the second son of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Boyd, 1s ...
* Robert Elliot, 13th Chief of Clan Elliot
* Archibald Graham, 3rd of Garvock – King James' cousin
* George Graham, 1st of Calendar
* Alexander Guthrie of Kincaldrum, and his son David
* James Henderson of Fordell, Fife; Lord Justice Clerk
The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session.
Originally ''clericus justiciarie'' or Clerk to the Court of Justiciary, the counterpart in the criminal courts of the Lord ...
* Adam Hepburn of Craggis
Sir Adam Hepburn was the son of Adam Hepburn, Master of Hailes and Helen Home, and brother of Patrick, the first ''Earl of Bothwell''. He lived at Craigs, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland.
He married Elizabeth Ogstoun, daughter of William Ogstoun, ...
* William Hoppringill, 1st Laird of Torwoodlee
Galashiels (; sco, Gallae, gd, An Geal Àth) is a town in the Scottish Borders with a population of around 12,600. Its name is often colloquially shortened to "Gala". The town is a major commercial centre for the Borders region with extensive ...
* Uchtred MacDowall Uhtred is a masculine given name of Anglo-Saxon origin, prevalent during the Medieval period. It may refer to:
People
* Uhtred of Hwicce (died c. 779), King of Hwicce
* Uhtred (Derbyshire ealdorman) (early to mid 10th century), ealdorman (earl) in ...
, Lord of Garthland
* Sir William M'Clellan of Bomby. A personal friend of King James IV
* Gilbert M'Clellan of Balmangan
* Patrick M'Clellan of Gelstoun
* Sir Alexander Lauder of Blyth
Sir Alexander Lauder of Blyth, Knt. (died 9 September 1513) was Provost of Edinburgh almost continually from 1500 to 1513. He was Commissioner to the Scottish Parliament, 1504–06, and an Auditor of the Exchequer in Scotland. He appears to have ...
, Provost of Edinburgh
* David, William, and George Lyon. All three brother-in-laws of Alexander Guthrie of Kincaldrum
* Lachlan MacLean Lachlan Maclean may refer to:
* Lachlan Lubanach Maclean (c.1350–c.1405), 5th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean
*Lachlan Bronneach Maclean (fl. 1470s), 7th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean
* Lachlan Og Maclean (c. 1432–1484), 8th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean
...
, 10th Chief of Clan Maclean
* Thomas Maule of Panmure.
* John Muirhead, Laird of Muirhead
* Archibald Napier of Edinbellie.
* Colin Oliphant, Master of Oliphant
* Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie
Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie (c. 1290–1342) (sometimes spelt: ''Dalwolsey'') was a Scottish nobleman and knight who fought for David II, King of Scots in the south of Scotland in the Second War of Scottish Independence and is famous for h ...
* Sir John Ramsay of Trarinzeane
* Sir William Seton, grandson of James I of Scotland
James I (late July 139421 February 1437) was King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III and Annabella Drummond. His older brother David, Duke of Ro ...
* Sir John Somerville of Cambusnethan
Cambusnethan is a large village and suburb on the eastern edge of Wishaw, North Lanarkshire in Scotland. It is approximately long, straddling both sides of the A722 on a hill overlooking Wishaw.
Etymology
The name "''Cambusnethan"'' was his ...
* John Hunter 14th Laird of Hunterston
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
* William Wallace 11th of Craigie, 16th of Riccarton Riccarton may refer to:
New Zealand
* Riccarton, New Zealand, a suburb of Christchurch
** Riccarton (New Zealand electorate), the electorate named after it
** The location of Riccarton Race Course
* a locality on the Taieri Plains in Otago
Scotlan ...
Names of Scottish casualties from property records
A number of subsequent property transactions give names of the fallen. A register of royal charters was kept and published as the ''Register of the Great Seal of Scotland''. The battle was mentioned because of the declaration James IV had made at Twiselhaugh respecting the heritage of the heirs of potential casualties, which waived feudal fees. Some of the lands noted were those held under Matthew, Earl of Lennox, who died in the battle of Flodden Field, "in campo bellico de Flodoun" (in the field of war at Flodden). Other great seal charters mentioned an altar dedicated for remembrance at St Giles', Edinburgh
St Giles' Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Naomh Giles), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended ...
and the effect of the battle on Selkirk, a border town.[''Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, AD 1513–1546''](_blank)
vol.3 (1883), see index p.986 These names include Adam Hacket, husband of Helen Mason.
The ''Exchequer Rolls of Scotland
The Exchequer Rolls of Scotland (Latin:) are records of the Scottish Exchequer dating from 1326 to 1708. The accounts were the responsibility of the Comptroller of Scotland. The National Records of Scotland
National Records of Scotland ( gd, Clà ...
'', a record of royal income, also gives names of the fallen. These were feudal tenants who held their lands from the King, and would pay their dues directly to the exchequer. The names of landless men or those who held their lands from a landlord would not appear in this record. The preface to the published volume of the ''Exchequer Rolls'' gives this explanation and guide to the variety of Latin phrases used to describe deaths in the campaign;
The usual form of entry is "qui obiit in bello" (who died in the war), "in campo bellico" (in field of war), or "in campo" (in the field); but the forms also occur "qui obiit sub vixillo regis", (who died under the king's banner), which probably denotes that the fallen man was killed at Flodden, or "qui obiit in exercitu in Northumberland" (who died in the army in Northumberland), which perhaps indicates that the death occurred elsewhere than at Flodden, or that the place of death was unknown. In the Responde Books the earlier Sasines (property documents) are silent as to the campaign. The later Sasines refer to it as "bellum", or "campus bellicus," and it is not till 1518 that Flodden is named, and then only about half-a-dozen times. ..., It must be borne in mind that it is only the King's vassals or tenants who left heirs in lands in the comparatively small portion of Scotland then held by the King, whose names can be expected to appear in the present Accounts. Besides the names in the following list, there are many other instances of Sasines taken in favour of the heirs of persons whom we know from other sources to have died at Flodden. p.clxii
English soldiers knighted at Flodden
Around forty-five English soldiers were knighted by the Earl of Surrey after the battle. Edward Hall mentions some of their positions in the army's advance from Newcastle.
Battlefield today
The battlefield still looks much as it probably did at the time of the battle, but the burn
A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...
and marsh which so badly hampered the Scots advance is now drained. A monument, erected in 1910, is easily reached from Branxton village by following the road past St Paul's Church. There is a small car park and a clearly marked and signposted battlefield trail with interpretive boards which make it easy to visualise the battle. Only the chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ove ...
arch remains of the medieval church where James IV's body was said to have rested after the battle—the rest is Victorian, dating from 1849 in the "Norman" style.
Each year, the neighbouring Scottish town of Coldstream marks the Battle of Flodden by a traditional horse-ride to the battlefield and then having a service to mark all those who perished during the fight during the town's " Civic Week"—held in the first week of August.
Commemoration
The stained-glass Flodden Window in St Leonard's Church, Middleton, now in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
, reputedly houses the oldest war memorial in Great Britain, constructed by Sir Richard Assheton
Richard Assheton (by 1529 – 1579), of Whalley and Downham, Lancashire, was an English politician.
He was a Member of Parliament, Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Aldborough (UK Parliament constituency), Aldborough in 1559 and for C ...
in memory of the Battle of Flodden and the archers from Middleton who fought in it.
The Quincentennial
An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saint ...
of the battle in 2013 was commemorated by a programme of projects and events bringing together communities from both sides of the border. A number were funded by an £887,300 Heritage Lottery Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom.
History
The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
grant including the expansion of the Flodden 1513 Ecomuseum and archaeology, documentary research
Documentary research is the use of outside sources, documents, to support the viewpoint or argument of an academic work. The process of documentary research
Research is " creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of ...
and education projects, exhibitions and a solemn commemoration.
In fiction
* ''Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field'' (1808), an epic poem in six cantos by Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...
* The Battle of Flodden Field, told from several different perspectives, is the subject of the novel, ''Flodden Field'', by Elisabeth McNeill, published 2007.
* Flodden from the perspective of a Yorkshire archer is the subject of the novel ''Tom Fleck'', by Harry Nicholson, published 2011.
* ''The Flowers of the Forest'', a historical novel by Elizabeth Byrd
Elizabeth Byrd (December 8, 1912 – May 11, 1989) was an American author. Her main body of work is historical fiction, and her most successful novel is ''Immortal Queen,'' a historical romance about Mary, Queen of Scots. Nine of her thirteen nov ...
, chronicles the life of Queen Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and successfully fought to extend her regency. Marg ...
of Scotland and culminates in the Battle of Flodden.
* Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...
wrote an overture, his ''Overture Marmion'' (1867), inspired by the Scott poem.
* ''Sunset at Noon'' by Jane Oliver (1955) a fictional account of the life of James IV.
* There is no historical record of anyone from the Clan Munro
Clan Munro (; gd, Clann an Rothaich ) is a Highland Scottish clan. Historically the clan was based in Easter Ross in the Scottish Highlands. Traditional origins of the clan give its founder as Donald Munro who came from the north of Ireland and ...
taking part in the Battle of Flodden Field; however, there is an old tradition that the Munros of Argyll are descended from a Flodden survivor. One of these descendants was Neil Munro.
In film and television
* The British documentary series ''Two Men in a Trench
''Two Men in a Trench'' is a British comedic historical documentary television series, produced by the BBC, that ran from 2002 to 2004.
Overview
''Two Men in a Trench'' follows archaeologists Tony Pollard and Neil Oliver around the British Isles ...
'' also featured the battle in its first season, giving an accurate picture of what occurred and explaining the battle dynamics, showing the weakness and strong points of weapons used, etc.
* The second season of the Starz
Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz consist ...
television series ''The Spanish Princess
''The Spanish Princess'' is a historical drama television limited series developed by Emma Frost and Matthew Graham for Starz. Based on the novels ''The Constant Princess'' (2005) and ''The King's Curse'' (2014) by Philippa Gregory, it is a seque ...
'' featured the battle. The depiction was fictionalized in certain respects, for example by having the title character, Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...
, on the battlefield at the head of the English troops while heavily pregnant. The filming location was the Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills (commonly called the Mendips) is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running from Weston-super-Mare and the Bristol Channel in the west to the Frome valley in the east, the hills ...
in Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
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, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
.
See also
* Percy Folio
The Percy Folio is a folio book of English ballads used by Thomas Percy to compile his '' Reliques of Ancient Poetry''. Although the manuscript itself was compiled in the 17th century, some of its material goes back well into the 12th century. It ...
* Selkirk Common Riding
* Teribus ye teri odin
Teribus ye teri odin or teribus an teriodin () is popularly believed to have been the war cry of the men of Hawick at the Battle of Flodden, and still preserved in the traditions of the town. In 1819, James Hogg wrote a border ballad with the sam ...
Footnotes
References
The earliest accounts of the battle are English. These contemporary sources include; the ''Articles of the Bataill bitwix the Kinge of Scottes and therle of Surrey in Brankstone Field'' said to be a field despatch; Brian Tuke's news-letter to Cardinal Bainbridge; an Italian poem, ''La Rotta de Scosesi'' in part based on Tuke's letters; a news-sheet printed in London, ''The Trewe Encountre''; another lost news-sheet printed by Richard Pynson which was the source used in Edward Hall's ''Chronicle.'' These sources are compared in the 1995 English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
report.
* Grafton, Richard
''Grafton's Chronicle, or History of England: The Chronicle at Large, 1569'', vol.2, London (1809)
pp. 268–277
* Hall, Edward
''Chronicle of England'', (1809)
pp. 561–565
* Giovio, Paolo
''Pauli Jovii historiarum sui temporis'', (1549)
pp. 505–528 (Latin)
Pitscottie, Robert Lindsay of, ''The History and Chronicles of Scotland'', vol.1, Edinburgh (1814)
pp. 264–282.
* ''The Trewe Encountre or Batayle Lately Don Between England and Scotland etc.'', Flaque (1513) i
Petrie, George, 'Account of Floddon in the 'Trewe Encountre' manuscript', ''Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries Scotland'', vol. 7, Edinburgh (1866–7), 141–152
* ''Letters & Papers Henry VIII'', vol.1, (1920) for the ''Articles of Batail'' and Tuke's letter, ''Calendar State Papers Venice'', vol.2 (1867) and see ''Calendar State Papers Milan'', vol. 1 (1912)
* ''La Rotta de Scosesi'', in, Mackay Mackenzie, W., ''The Secret of Flodden'', (1931)
* Barr, N., ''Flodden 1513'', 2001.
* Barret, C. B., ''Battles and Battlefields in England'', 1896.
* Bingham, C., "Flodden and its Aftermath", in ''The Scottish Nation'', ed. G. Menzies, 1972.
* Burke's Landed Gentry of Scotland under Henderson of Fordell
* Caldwell, D. H., ''Scotland's Wars and Warriors'', Edinburgh TSO (1998)
*
Ellis, Henry, ed., ''Original Letters Illustrative of English History'', 1st Series, vol.1, Richard Bentley, London (1825)
pp. 82–99, Catherine of Aragon's letters.
Ellis, Henry, ed., ''Original Letters Illustrative of English History'', 3rd Series, vol.1, Richard Bentley, London (1846)
pp. 163–164, Dr. William Knight to Cardinal Bainbridge, 20 September 1513, Lille (Latin)
English Heritage Battlefield Report: Flodden, (1995), 13pp
*
*
*
* Hodgkin, T., "The Battle of Flodden", in ''Arcaeologia Aeliania'', vol. 16, 1894.
*
* Leather, G. F. T., "The Battle of Flodden", in ''History of the Berwickshire Naturalists Club'', vol. 25, 1933.
* Macdougall, N., ''James IV'', 1989.
* Mackie, J. D., "The English Army at Flodden", in ''Miscellany of the Scottish History Society'', vol 8 1951.
* Mackie, J.D., "The Auld Alliance and the Battle of Flodden", in ''Transactions of the Franco-Scottish Society'', 1835.
*
*
*
*
* Sadler, John
''Flodden 1513: Scotland's Greatest Defeat''
Osprey Publishing
Osprey Publishing is a British, Oxford-based, publishing company specializing in military history. Predominantly an illustrated publisher, many of their books contain full-colour artwork plates, maps and photographs, and the company produces ov ...
(May 2006), Campaign Series 168; 96 pages; .
* Stephen, Rev. W.M. (1921), ''Story of Inverkeithing & Rosyth''. Brit.Lib. No.0190370.f.78
*
* Tucker, Melvin J. (1964),
The Life of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey and Second Duke of Norfolk, 1443–1524
'. The Hague: Mouton Publishers.
* White, R. H. (1859)
''The Battle of Flodden''
in ''Archaeologia Aeliania'', vol. 3, 1859
* White, R. H. (1862
''White's List''
in ''Archaeologia Aeliana or Miscellaneous Tracts: Volume 6'' (1862) pp. 69–79.
External links
*
*
National Archives of Scotland
An account of the battle, from Our Past History
* John Skelton John Skelton may refer to:
*John Skelton (poet) (c.1460–1529), English poet.
* John de Skelton, MP for Cumberland (UK Parliament constituency)
*John Skelton (died 1439), MP for Cumberland (UK Parliament constituency)
*John Skelton (American footb ...
's Flodden poem,
A Ballade of the Scottyshe Kynge
'
Coldstream civic week. Annual event with commemorative rideout to the Flodden Memorial
A monument of the Battle of Flodden, Pastscape
Sir Walter Scott's account of the Laird of Muirhead's role protecting James IV in the Battle of Flodden
Flodden 500 year anniversary projects
Flodden 1513 communities Ecomuseum project
Flodden 1513, the remembering Flodden project
Flodden 500 years anniversary (2013): Follow the community archaeological project excavating in and around Flodden battlefield
The Flooers O’ The Forest
Greentrax Recordings compilation CD of songs and music of Flodden.
www.iFlodden.info
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flodden, Battle Of
1513 in England
1513 in Scotland
Battles between England and Scotland
Battles of the War of the League of Cambrai
Battle of Flodden
The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, resulting in an English ...
Invasions of England
James IV of Scotland
Military history of Northumberland
Registered historic battlefields in England
History of the Scottish Borders
16th century in Northumberland
16th-century military history of Scotland
Catherine of Aragon