500 years ago today, a battle took place which – arguably – changed the course of history. It was a battle which perhaps should never have taken place at all. The Battle of Flodden Field was certainly one of the bloodiest defeats ever suffered by Scotland at the hands of the English. James IV of Scotland was killed along with much of his army – as many as 15,000 men died on that day.
One could argue that this battle ended the age of chivalry on these islands. James IV only invaded because he felt honour-bound by his obligations under the Auld Alliance with France. France and England were at war at the time – but the Scottish king gave the English a month’s notice of his intentions. That was more than enough time for an English army under the Earl of Surrey to make their preparations.
On paper, the Scottish army was larger and had better artillery than Surrey’s forces. King James had over 30,000 men under his command compared with the 25,000 in the English force. These men also had some of the latest weapons of the era, including muskets and cannons. The trouble was however that the Scottish army was not made up of full-time professionals – they had insufficient time to train with this modern equipment.
Perhaps the one aspect of the battle which indicated that warfare was entering a new era was that the two sides adopted different tactics. James IV and his nobles made the fatal decision to lead from the front in the traditional mediaeval style. By contrast, the Earl of Surrey and his officers adopted what was then a more modern style of leadership by directing their troops from the rear.
The battle raged for around three hours. It was reported that King James came “within a spear’s length” of the English general. However he was struck down by an arrow and was hacked to death – the last monarch to die in battle on British soil. Around him, the flower of Scotland nobility and thousands of foot soldiers lay dying. The defeat and the slaughter of so many affected almost every family in Scotland.
Today, events have taken place to mark the anniversary. For example, a special flag was unveiled at the Flodden Memorial after a short service. A service was also held at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, marked by an address by the Border’s historian, Alistair Moffat.
The battle itself is but a footnote in English history. But in Scotland, it is remembered as one of the country’s great heroic failures. It certainly changed the course of Scotland’s history. After the battle, the surviving nobles fought with each other for dominance leading to 15 years of unrest until King James V was crowned King in 1528.