Sir Henry de Bohun
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Sir Henry de Bohun (died 23 June 1314) was an English knight, the grandson of Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford. He was killed on the first day of the
Battle of Bannockburn The Battle of Bannockburn ( gd, Blàr Allt nam Bànag or ) fought on June 23–24, 1314, was a victory of the army of King of Scots Robert the Bruce over the army of King Edward II of England in the First War of Scottish Independence. It was ...
by Robert the Bruce. Riding in the vanguard of heavy cavalry, de Bohun caught sight of the Scottish king who was mounted on a small palfrey ''(ane gay palfray Li till and joly)'' armed only with a battle-axe. De Bohun lowered his lance and charged, but Bruce stood his ground, riding on towards the English knight. The two men sped towards each other (''Sprent thai samyn intill a ling''). At the last moment Bruce manoeuvred his mount nimbly to one side, stood up in his stirrups and hit de Bohun so hard with his axe that it cut through both Sir Henry's helmet and skull and into his brain (''That ner the heid till the harnys clave''). Despite the great risk the King had taken, he merely expressed regret that he had broken the shaft of his favourite axe. An iconic description and picture of the death of Henry de Bohun is contained in ''Scotland's Story'' by
H. E. Marshall Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall (usually credited as H. E. Marshall; 9 August 1867 – 19 September 1941) was a British author, particularly well known for her works of popular national history for children. She is best known for her 1905 work "Our I ...
.Marshall, H E: ''Scotland's Story: How de Bohun met his death
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bohun, Henry de English people of the Wars of Scottish Independence English military personnel killed in action 14th-century English people 1314 deaths Year of birth unknown Henry English deaths at the Battle of Bannockburn English duellists