Up to this point in the battle the English and Welsh longbowmen (archers) had not been used to their full advantage. They were moved to the right side of the English lines. From here they could fire arrows into the Scottish army with great effect. But Robert the Bruce had provided for this event. His 500 light horsemen led by Keith, the Marischal, quickly scattered the English and Welsh archers. many of the English and Welsh archers ran back to the English lines. This caused more confusion and the infantry also begin to run away. The Scottish king now sent in his reserve division behind Douglas. When the English saw another large force of Scots joining the battle they began . Everywhere King Edward looked his forces were losing the battle.
The Earl of Pembroke and sir Giles d'Argentan were guarding the English King. As the battle was now lost they needed to get the king to safety. They led him off the battlefield and towards Sterling Castle. At the same time several Scots recognized the king and tried to capture him. The king fought them off with his . He broke free and rode to Sterling Castle a short distance away. At the castle Sir Philip Mowbray did not allow King Edward to enter. He told the king he now had to surrender the castle and the king would be taken prisoner. But Mowbray gave Edward II a knight to guide the king and his party to safety. Edward, with 500 of his cavalry turned towards Linlithgow. Sir James Douglas got permission from Robert the Bruce to pursue the English king. With a group of Keith's Douglas kept close behind Edward as he fled south. As he pursued the English king, Douglas and his men encountered Sir Lawrence de Abernethy who with 80 men was on his way to join Edward at Bannockburn. On finding out the king had lost the battle he and his men joined Douglas in trying to capture Edward. The English tried to bait them into a fight at Winchburg but Douglas stayed on their flank (side).Even with Abernethy's men the Scots were not strong enough to take on Edward's knights. The chase continued all the way to Dunbar Castle. Loyalties on the border were very uncertain at this time. The local earl had sided with Edward. So the king was allowed to escape in a boat back to England with only a few of his closest followers. The rest of his 500 horsemen were left to find their way back to England as best they could.
Another large group of Edward's knights escaped to Bothwell Castle. There they were welcomed by the castle commander, Walter Gilbertson. But Gilbertson soon changed sides and took all the English prisoners. The remainder of Edward's large army scattered in every direction. In trying to escape the Scottish schildrons, many were drowned in the Bannockburn and the River Forth. A large number were taken prisoner and later ransomed. The English baggage train was left behind. It's silver, gold, and luxuries the noblemen brought with them was worth a fortune alone. Along with the ransoms paid for their prisoners this brought sudden wealth to Scotland.
The wars with England were still not over. It would be another 14 years until Scotland was free of English rule. But to the Scots the Battle of Bannockburn was a major victory. Before the battle Robert the Bruce was considered by many a usurper (pretender). He only had limited support in Scotland. After Bannockburn Robert the Bruce became a national hero. He had the support of most of Scotland. However his political rivals in Scotland suffered. Perhaps no one more than the Comyn family and supporters. Both John Comyn of Badenoch and Edward Comyn of Kilbride were killed at Bannockburn. With them died any hope of an English victory returning this family to power.
The English dead at Bannockburn were buried with honors according to their rank. There were over 500 returned to England in exchange for ransom. And Scottish prisoners in England were returned in exchange. Robert the Bruce's wife, daughter and sister were returned. The border wars continued but from 1314 to 1328 the focus shifted to the north of England. The purpose of all the raids was to get Edward II to recognize Robert the Bruce as king of Scotland. Also for England to give up their claims to Scotland and recognize their independence. The English learned their lesson from Bannockburn. The Scots apparently didn't. In the later Battle of Dupplin Moor and Halidon Hill the same tactics that brought victory at Bannockburn brought them defeat. William Mackenzie wrote: "Never did the arms of England suffer so complete a disaster; never did the arms of Scotland repeat so remarkable a performance."
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487) were a series of civil wars fought over the throne of England between supporters of the House of Lancaster, the Lancastrians, and supporters of the House of York, the Yorkists. Both houses were branches of the Plantagenet royal house and were related through King Edward III.
The wars began for several reasons, and historians have debated the one that was most important. King Henry VI was seen as a poor ruler by many of his people because of his lack of interest in politics and his mental illness (his French queen, Margaret of Anjou, often made key decisions instead). Also, England's defeat in the Hundred Years' War in France, money problems after the war and problems with the feudal system of government were other causes.
The name of the Wars of the Roses, which was first used only in the 19th century, comes from the white rose symbol for the House of York and the red rose symbol for the House of Lancaster. However, the red rose symbol was not used until after the wars had ended, and most soldiers fought under the symbol of their local nobleman. At the time, they were called the "Civil Wars". The houses were named after the cities of Lancaster and York, but neither city played a big role during the war, and both houses owned land all over England and Wales.
King Edward III had many sons, as is shown in the family tree below. His oldest son, known by his nickname "The Black Prince" died first, and the throne passed to the Black Prince's son, Richard, who became King Richard II of England in 1377 although he was only ten. He grew up to be a weak and unpopular king, and one of his actions was to send his cousin Henry into exile.
Henry later returned while Richard was away in Ireland and took over the country. When Richard returned, Henry tricked him into giving himself up. Richard was put into prison, where he died, and Henry became King Henry IV of England.
Henry IV reigned until his death and was followed by his son, King Henry V (in 1413). Henry V died in 1422 and was followed by his son King Henry VI, who was only a baby. Henry VI did not run the government until 1437. He then ruled until 1461, six years after the Wars of the Roses began.
Henry VI was considered a poor ruler by some of his people for several reasons. He was not interested in politics. He was shy and did not like war. He was easily led by a small number of friends, such as his French queen Margaret of Anjou and his advisor Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset.
Henry VI's reign also saw England's defeat in the Hundred Year's War. England had done well in the war while he was still a child, and by 1428, they English appeared to be close to defeating their House of Valois enemies. However, Joan of Arc's rebellions in 1429-1430 was one reason for Burgundy's decision to switch sides in 1435. Several other problems made England's control in France to be already weakened when Henry VI started to run the government in 1437.
Henry VI tried to end the war by agreeing negotiating peace, but his French enemies realised thar they could win a complete victory. In 1453, England had lost its last lands in France outside Calais.