When and where was the Battle of Flodden fought?
The Battle of Flodden was fought on the 9th of September 1513 near Branxton, in the county of Northumberland, northern England. It was part of the wider War of the League of Cambrai.
Questions about Battle of Flodden
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who commanded the English and Scottish armies at Flodden?
The Scottish army was commanded by King James IV himself. The English army was commanded by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, with his son Thomas Howard, the Lord High Admiral of England, leading the vanguard.
Why did James IV of Scotland invade England in 1513?
James IV invaded England to honour the Auld Alliance with France, aiming to divert Henry VIII's English forces from their campaign against the French king Louis XII. James was also responding to Henry VIII's increasingly bellicose rhetoric about overlordship of Scotland.
How did the Scottish pike formations fail at the Battle of Flodden?
The Scottish infantry armed with eighteen-foot pikes advanced downhill into an area of marshy ground at the foot of Branxton Hill, identified by modern hydrologists as a groundwater seepage zone made worse by heavy rain. The marsh broke up their formations, the long pikes became unmanageable in close-quarter fighting, and the English bills outreached the Scottish side-arms.
Was James IV of Scotland the last monarch to die in battle?
James IV was the last monarch from Great Britain to die in battle. His body was found surrounded by the corpses of his bodyguard on the battlefield, with two arrow wounds including one in the jaw, and wounds from bladed weapons to the neck and wrist.
What happened to Scotland after the Battle of Flodden?
Scotland was plunged into a political crisis. Ten days after the battle, the Lords of Council met at Stirling and established a General Council to govern the realm. On the 21st of October 1513, the seventeen-month-old James V was crowned at Stirling Castle, with his mother Margaret Tudor serving as his guardian.