Battle of Falkirk (1298)
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{{Infobox Military Conflict |conflict=Battle of Falkirk |partof=the Wars of Scottish Independence |image= |caption= |date=July 21, 1298 |place=Falkirk, Scotland |result=English victory |combatant1=Scotland |combatant2=England |commander1=William Wallace |commander2=Edward I of England |strength1=500 cavalry, 9,500 infantry |strength2=2,250 cavalry, 12,900 infantry(there was much desertion amongst the Welsh troops, who made up a substantial part of Edward's infantry so this number might have been lower). |casualties1= |casualties2= }} Template:Campaignbox Wars of Scottish Independence The Battle of Falkirk was a battle of the Wars of Scottish Independence.
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Prelude
William Wallace had secured control of Scotland with his victory against the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. Edward Longshanks had been distracted with his wars on the European continent, and did not return to retake Scotland until six months after the English defeat.
Battle
Edward and his reluctant army forced Wallace's Scots into a pitched battle at Falkirk. Wallace placed his men on higher ground overlooking a small creek (Westquarter Burn) with the Callender Wood to his rear. The ground opposite his centre was boggy. He deployed his men in four schiltrons, with archers and light troops between them, while his Noble cavalry were held in reserve.
Longshank's army entered the field in column led by three bodies of knights. The centre unit became mired in the marshy ground but disengaged itself to circle left while the second unit circled right to hit the Scottish left and right flanks respectively. The Scottish schiltrons held, but many archers and light troops were cut down by the English Knights. At this point, Wallace's noble cavalry abandoned the battle.
Unable to make headway against the leveled pikes of the Scots schiltrons with his Knights, Longshanks moved forward his archers and Irish mercenaries. Several historical sources record that Longshank's subject Welsh longbow units refused to participate. The English and Irish mercenaries were able, however, to inflict casualties and create confusion in the schiltrons, which the English Knights were eventually able to exploit. Finally, the schiltrons broke and the remnants of Wallace's army fled.
Aftermath
Wallace survived, and Edward was not able to follow up on his victory: lack of supplies forced him to return to England. Wallace's campaign suffered greatly by the defeat at Falkirk. The Scottish struggle for independence ultimately passed next to Robert the Bruce.
The Scottish cavalry have been judged by some people as treacherous for leaving the field at Falkirk. However, Wallace's plan purportedly called for them to make a nearly suicidal charge on the English troops. The Scottish cavalry were few and those at Falkirk were a significant portion, if not nearly all of those that were available at that time. By staying behind to fight, they would almost certainly have inflicted a large amount of additional casualties to the English army, but whether that would have turned Falkirk into a Scottish victory is not able to be determined based on what information is available to us now. The Scottish cavalry did fight later at the Battle of Bannockburn, and that battle resulted in a firm Scottish victory.
Braveheart
Mel Gibson's film Braveheart made a number of historical mistakes in its depiction of the battle. It showed the Irish charging, then stopping, shaking hands with the Scottish troops, and switching sides. This may have been a confusion with the Welsh longbow units. Also, it describes the Irish as conscripts, an anachronism in the Middle Ages. Wallace is shown losing a one-on-one fight with Robert the Bruce, who fights on the English side, defending the king.af:Slag van Falkirk (1298) de:Schlacht von Falkirk (1298) no:Slaget ved Falkirk (1298) ru:Битва при Фолкерке (1298)