MTW Battle of Bannockburn 1314

Description

In 1290 Edward I of England proclaimed himself the overlord of Scotland, much to the annoyance of the Scots. For the rest of his life, Scottish entanglements dragged Edward's armies into Scotland. Scotland was occupied, but never pacified. In 1306 a new claimant to the Scottish throne, Robert the Bruce, emerged and challenged the English once again. He murdered a rival, seized the crown and then faced the problem of English garrisons throughout Scotland. His early campaigns ended in failure and semi-exile but he was hugely helped by the death of Edward I. The new king of England, Edward II, was not a military, political or any other kind of genius! In 1313 Robert's troops captured Perth and in 1314 Edinburgh fell, but the key confrontation came at Bannockburn, as Edward II lead an army to relieve the siege of Stirling. Robert's forces had surrounded the English garrison in the town and were effectively starving them out. Robert the Bruce chose not to let Edward through, but to attack, even though he was outnumbered and the English were mounted. His pike-armed troops gave him the advantage, as did the ground he chose. Edward II also helped Robert by running away and panicking his own army. The defeat of the English was total and Edward was never able to challenge Robert's control of Scotland again. Bannockburn marked a change in English warfare, as lessons learned from the Scots were applied to English armies. It was the last time the English would field an army of predominantly mounted knights. From now on, they would fight on foot and this change would lead to many victories against the French in later wars. It wasn't until Edward II suffered a horrible and painful death on the orders of his wife, Isabella of France, and her lover, Roger Mortimer, that peace finally came. The new rulers of England and Robert signed the Treaty of Northampton in 1328. This recognised the fact of Scottish independence, a prize won at Bannockburn that was to last for 400 years.

Win Conditions

• Protect Robert The Bruce. The battle is lost if he is killed.
• Make sure your army isn't routed or slaughtered.
• Break the English army. Kill them, or force them to rout.

Scottish Army

• 70 Highland Clansmen
• 70 Highland Clansmen
• 80 Highland Clansmen
• 100 Spearmen
• 100 Spearmen
• 35 Chivalric Knights
• 60 Peasants

English Army

• 80 Feudal Men-At-Arms
• 100 Crossbowmen
• 65 Feudal Knights
• 120 Feudal Knights
• 100 Feudal Knights
• 60 Spearmen
• 110 Feudal Knights
• 113 Feudal Knights
• 120 Feudal Knights
• 110 Feudal Knights
• 70 Peasants
• 60 Feudal Men-At-Arms
• 80 Peasants
• 100 Crossbowmen

Tactics

Need input for this section.

Credits

The Background descriptions and Win Conditions are taken straight from the game text files in "\Medieval - Total War\Loc\Eng\", HISTCAMPAIGNS.TXT, HISTORICAL.TXT and CHANGES.TXT.