Battle of Kinghorn
Battle of Kinghorn | |||||||
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Part of the Second War of Scottish Independence | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Kingdom of Scotland |
Balliol supporters assisted by: Kingdom of England | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Earl of Fife Lord Liddesdale Alexander Seton † |
Edward Balliol Henry de Beaumont | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
~4,000 |
1,500 • 500 men-at-arms • 1,000 infantry | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
90, 900 or 1,000 | Unknown, but few, if any |
The Battle of Kinghorn was fought on 6 August 1332 at Wester Kinghorn (now
Balliol and Beaumont's forces were still disembarking from their ships when the Scots attacked them. The Scots pressed hard, but were beaten off by English
Background
The
Robert Bruce died in 1329; his heir was five-year-old
Battle
Balliol's force was small, only 1,500 men: 500
While the invaders were still disembarking they were confronted by a large Scottish force commanded by Duncan, Earl of Fife, and Robert Bruce, Lord of Liddesdale (an illegitimate son of King Robert the Bruce). Contemporary and near-contemporary English chronicles record their number variously as 4,000, 10,000, 14,000 and 24,000.[10] Scottish sources imply that the force was much smaller. The historian Clifford Rogers says, based on the presence of both Fife and Bruce, that 4,000 "is probably the closest to the truth".[11] The Scots attacked the part of the English force on the beach,[12] but were driven off after a hard-pressed assault by the fire of English longbowmen and by their supporting infantry, before Balliol and Beaumont's men-at-arms could get ashore.[13]
Scottish accounts of the time dismiss their losses as trivial, while one English source gives 90 Scots killed, two give 900, and a fourth 1,000.[14] One chronicle, the Brut, reports that Fife was "full of shame" at being defeated by such a small force.[15] Five or six nobles were among the dead, including Sir Alexander Seton. There is no record of casualties suffered by Balliol's men. Buoyed by this victory, Balliol and Beaumont's force completed their disembarkation and marched to Dunfermline, where they looted a Scottish armoury. Mar withdrew to the capital, Perth, amalgamated the survivors of Kinghorn and sent out a general call for reinforcements.[16]
Aftermath
On 11 August Balliol's force met Mar's army at the Battle of Dupplin Moor,[9] where the Scots vastly outnumbered the invaders; by ten to one according to an estimate by Rogers.[17] Despite this the Scots suffered a serious defeat, with thousands killed,[18] including much of the nobility.[19] Balliol was crowned king of Scotland at Scone, the traditional place of coronation for Scottish monarchs,[20] on 24 September.[3] Balliol's support within Scotland was limited and within six months it had collapsed. He was ambushed by supporters of David II at the Battle of Annan a few months after his coronation. Balliol fled to England half-dressed and riding bareback. He appealed to Edward III for assistance.[21][22] Edward supported him, inflicted a defeat on the Scots at the Battle of Halidon Hill in July 1333 and put Balliol back on the Scottish throne.[23] Balliol was deposed again in 1334, restored again in 1335 and finally deposed in 1336, by those loyal to David II.[24]
Citations and sources
Citations
- ^ Barrow 1965, pp. 99–100.
- ^ Weir 2006, p. 314.
- ^ a b Nicholson 1961, p. 19.
- ^ Sumption 1990, pp. 124, 126.
- ^ DeVries 1998, p. 116.
- ^ Nicholson 1974, p. 124.
- ^ Rogers 2014, p. 35.
- ^ Rogers 2014, pp. 34, 36.
- ^ a b Sumption 1990, p. 125.
- ^ DeVries 1998, p. 116 n. 27.
- ^ Rogers 2014, p. 36 n. 53.
- ^ DeVries 1998, pp. 113–114.
- ^ Rogers 2014, p. 36.
- ^ DeVries 1998, p. 116 n. 28.
- ^ DeVries 1998, p. 117.
- ^ Rogers 2014, pp. 36–37.
- ^ Rogers 2014, p. 41.
- ^ Sumption 1990, pp. 125–126.
- ^ Rogers 2014, p. 45.
- ^ Rodwell 2013, p. 25.
- ^ Wyntoun 1907, p. 395.
- ^ Sumption 1990, p. 128.
- ^ Ormrod 1990, p. 8.
- ^ Nicholson 1974, p. 129.
Sources
- Barrow, Geoffrey Wallis Steuart (1965). Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. OCLC 655056131.
- ISBN 978-0851155715.
- Nicholson, Ranald (1961). "The Siege of Berwick, 1333". The Scottish Historical Review. XXXX (129): 19–42. OCLC 664601468.
- Nicholson, Ranald (1974). Scotland: The Later Middle Ages. University of Edinburgh History of Scotland. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd. ISBN 978-0-05002-038-8.
- Ormrod, Mark (1990). The Reign of Edward III. Yale Medieval Monarchs series. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-11910-7.
- Rodwell, Warwick (2013). The Coronation Chair and Stone of Scone: History, Archaeology and Conservation. Oxford: Oxbow Books. ISBN 978-1-78297-153-5.
- ISBN 978-0-85115-804-4.
- ISBN 978-0-57120-095-5.
- Weir, Alison (2006). Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-34545-320-4.
- OCLC 61938371.