"The slaughter struck every farm and household throughout lowland Scotland".

More Articles Clan Muirhead at Flodden Flowers of the Forest

One of the bloodiest battles in Scotland's history was the Battle of Flodden, a disastrous confrontation which took place on September 9, 1513, on the River Till, near Branxton, Northumberland. When it was over, an estimated five to ten thousand Scots were dead including 12 Earls, 15 Lords, many Clan Chiefs, some abbots, an archbishop and James IV, the King of Scotland himself.

For the Scots, Flodden was an absolute disaster in which many of the most important members of Scottish society were killed. For the English, it was a major victory which reduced the Scottish threat to a mere whisper and allowed Henry VIII to do as he pleased for the next three decades.

In 1513, England and France were at war. Despite the fact that England and Scotland had signed treaties in 1502 and the Scottish King's sister, Margaret, was married to King Henry VIII of England, when England invaded France, Scotland held to the Auld Alliance and sided with the French. England, on the other hand, joined the Holy League against France.

Thus in the summer of 1513, James IV honoured his commitment to King Louis XII to divert English troops from France where they were needed to fight for Henry. James originally gathered an estimated 100,000 Scotsmen, both Lowlanders and Highlanders, as well as 5000 French troops: but by the time they crossed over to northern England at Branxton, Nortumberland, on August 22, 1513, that number had dwindled to 30,000 due to desertions.

The Scots had some early successes, and took a number of castles, but the English defenders eventually ruled the day at Flodden Field. Numbering nearly 20,000, the English were led by Henry's Lieutenent in the North, Thomas Howard, the Earl of Surrey (and later Second Duke of Norfolk). The Scots took the high ground, but the English, although they were outnumbered, had superior equipment and artillary. They moved around the Scots to the West and opened by cannon fire. By nightfall, the English had won a decisive victory.

Flodden has been described as one more example of "often repeated performance of the English longbow against the Scottish spear." In terms of military history, Flodden marks a turning point for it was the last major battle in which the famous English longbow played a part, and one of the first in which artillery played a major role.

The Battle of Flodden is commemorated every year on September 9.

Interesting facts about the Battle of Flodden:

• A longbow from the Battle of Flodden hangs on the wall of Archers Hall, headquarters of Royal Scottish Archers, in Edinburgh.
• After the Battle of Flodden, King James V inherited the throne of Scotland and the border confrontations continued for another three years.
• The King's Stone, an unhewn granite pillar, is believed to mark the spot where King James IV was killed.
• The battle is re-created in the sixth canto of the metrical romance, "Marmion, A Tale of Flodden Field", by Sir Walter Scott.
  
• Today the Battle of Flodden is remembered in a large granite cross which marks the battle site. On it, are the words:
  

  "TO THE BRAVE OF BOTH NATION"

Clan Sinclair Battle of Flodden
Battle of Flodden
Clan Cameron Battle of Flodden
Selkirk and the Battle of Flodden
Royal Stuarts Battle of Flodden
The Battlefield of Flodden
Battle of Flodden
Cask of the Battle of Flodden
Flodden Field - song
Battle of Flodden Field
Battle of Flodden
Medieval English Longbow
King James IV of Scotland on GOTC
Muirhead Tartan Rediscovered on GOTC
Poem Flowers of the Forest on GOTC