The Battle of Stirling Bridge

1. The Battle of Stirling Bridge

2. A very real battle • Forget what you’ve seen in films - that’s fiction! • This battle has no glorious charge of knights, no long pikes or spears and doesn’t take place on an empty field. • However, the ‘real’ battle of Stirling Bridge is vastly important. • It proved to a demoralised Scottish nation that an English army could be defeated.

3. The importance of Stirling • Look at the map. • If an army marches north into the heartlands of Scotland, they need to pass by Stirling Castle. • Why? • It’s the easiest and cheapest route.

4. March to the west? • An army can’t march up the west coast of Scotland. • First of all, it’s very barren, ie no food. • The region is mountainous. • There are rivers to cross, eg the Clyde, presenting a formidable obstacle.

5. March to the east • Equally, it is as difficult to march up the eastern coast of Scotland. • The land is blocked by the Firth of Forth. • The river Forth is only passable by ferry, which is too slow and too dangerous to do with an army. • The only real crossing of the river Forth is at Stirling Bridge.

6. Stirling Castle • Stirling Castle was an almost impregnable fortress. • Wallace and Murray had no hope of capturing the castle. • Their only hope was to starve the defenders out. • But first they had to win the battle.

7. Wallace and Murray’s plan • As plans go it’s actually very simple. • The Scottish army will wait on a hill across the river bank. • The English will expect the Scots to wait until they finish crossing the bridge before they attack – the chivalrous thing to do.

8. The plan (continued) • Wallace and Murray had no intention of being chivalrous. • As soon as the English were half-way across they charged into combat. • The battle was actually fought on the bridge.

9. A bloody battle • The picture here is an artist’s impression of the battle. • It accurately portrays the narrow battlefield of the bridge. • This made the numerical superiority of the English useless. http://www.stirling.gov.uk/index/stirling/historytimeline/wars_of_independence/battlesb.htm

10. Significance of the victory • Stirling Bridge was not a significant military victory. • However, it did prove that the mighty English army could be defeated in battle by the Scots, something that they had so far been unable to do. • After the victory Wallace and Murray were able to win a lot of support in Scotland, and both were named joint Guardians of Scotland. • Unfortunately Murray died a few weeks later from infected wounds he received at Stirling.

11. What happened afterwards • Murray’s death was unfortunate, as he may have been the tactical genius behind the victory rather than Wallace. • Wallace decided to take the battle to England. • He raided as far south as York, causing a great deal of damage and terror in the northern counties. • However, Edward had now returned from France, determined to finally settle the Scottish question.