An Outline of the Relations between England and Scotland (500-1707) eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 218 pages of information about An Outline of the Relations between England and Scotland (500-1707).

An Outline of the Relations between England and Scotland (500-1707) eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 218 pages of information about An Outline of the Relations between England and Scotland (500-1707).

The battle of the Standard possesses no special interest for students of the art of war.  The English army, under William of Albemarle and Walter l’Espec, was drawn up in one line of battle, consisting of knights in coats of mail, archers, and spearmen.  The Scots were in four divisions; the van was composed of the Picts of Galloway, the right wing was led by Prince Henry, and the men of Lothian were on the left.  Behind fought King David, with the men of Moray.  The Galwegians made several unsuccessful attempts upon the English centre.  Prince Henry led his horse through the English left wing, but the infantry failed to follow, and the prince lost his advantage by a premature attempt to plunder.  The Scottish right made a pusillanimous attempt on the English left, and the reserve began to desert King David, who collected the remnants of his army and retired in safety to a height above Cowton Moor, the scene of the fight.  Prince Henry was left surrounded by the enemy, but saved the position by a clever stratagem, and rejoined his father.  Mr. Oman remarks that the battle was “of a very abnormal type for the twelfth century, since the side which had the advantage in cavalry made no attempt to use it, while that which was weak in the all-important arm made a creditable attempt to turn it to account by breaking into the hostile flank....  Wild rushes of unmailed clansmen against a steady front of spears and bows never succeeded; in this respect Northallerton is the forerunner of Dupplin, Halidon Hill, Flodden, and Pinkie."[34] The chief interest, for our purpose, attaching to the battle of the Standard, is connected with the light it throws upon the racial complexion of the country seventy years after the Norman Conquest.  Our chief authorities are the Hexham chroniclers and Ailred of Rivaulx[35], English writers of the twelfth century.  They speak of David’s host as composed of Angli, Picti, and Scoti.  The Angli alone contained mailed knights in their ranks, and David’s first intention was to send these mail-clad warriors against the English, while the Picts and Scots were to follow with sword and targe.  The Galwegians and the Scots from beyond Forth strongly opposed this arrangement, and assured the king that his unarmed Highlanders would fight better than “these Frenchmen”.  The king gave the place of honour to the Galwegians, and altered his whole plan of battle.  The whole context, and the Earl of Strathern’s sneer at “these Frenchmen”, would seem to show that the “Angli” are, at all events, clearly distinguished from the Picts of Galloway and the Scots who, like Malise of Strathern, came from beyond the Forth.  It is probable that the “Angli” were the men of Lothian; but it must also be recollected both that the term included the Anglo-Norman nobility ("these Frenchman”) and the English settlers who had followed Queen Margaret, and that David was fighting in an English quarrel and in the interests of an English queen.  The knights who wore coats of mail were

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An Outline of the Relations between England and Scotland (500-1707) from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.