DBA Armies

This list covers Scots “Common” (meaning national) armies based in Scotland (but not forces employed in Ireland or France) from the introduction of the feudal system until after the Battle of Flodden. Although Scottish mythology like “Braveheart” focuses on the Wars of Independence against Edward 1 & 11 1297-1314, Scots armies mainly fought on plundering rampages into England. A lowland Scots army’s strength was in its abundance of yeomen spearmen, worth £5 and required to have long spear, iron cap and habergeon. These did not wear tartan kiits, but “hodden grey” suits of un-dyed wool from a proportion of 12 white fleeces to 1 dark brown, the result being a brownish grey. Their language was not Gaelic, but varieties of English now called “Lallans” and “Doric”. The Norman-Scots nobility’s armour lagged behind English contemporaries and they were initially often of uncertain loyalties. At Flodden in 1513, they were destroyed fighting as the front rank of the pikemen. In his “Testament”, Robert the Bruce (Scotland’s most successful leader, who unlike William Wallace actually achieved independence) advised that all battles should be fought on foot making use of hills, marshes and woods, surprises by night and ambushes by day. Instead, Scots armies persisted in massed frontal attacks against dismounted English men-at-arms and longbows which never quite succeeded. Longer pikes were imported for the Flodden campaign. After 1456, they used artillery, which at Flodden was badly positioned and had difficulty redeploying. An attempt in 1429 to replace spears with longbows failed. Archers were mainly highlanders. The Isles and Highlands were independent until 1265, then a semi-independent lordship until 1493 (see III/78), but provided contingents once described as “3,000 of the most outrageous people in the country”. References: Armies of Feudal Europe 1. Heath, Armies of the Middle Ages Vol 11. Heath, England Versus Scotland R. Matthews, Slingshot 273, 274.