Siege of Berwick (1296)

Battle of Berwick

Part of: First Scottish War of Independence

date	March 30, 1296
place	Berwick-upon-Tweed
output	English victory
consequences	The city remained under English control until April 1318

Parties to the conflict
Kingdom of Scotland	Kingdom of England
Commander
Sir William of Douglas	Edward I.
Troop strength
unknown	unknown
losses
unknown	light
unknown

The siege of Berwick on March 30, 1296 was the first major battle of the First Scottish War of Independence . It took place between the kingdoms of England and Scotland in Berwick-upon-Tweed in what is now north-east England.

prehistory

After Scotland had made an alliance with France, an enemy of England , the English King Edward I led an army north. On March 30, 1295, the king and his army reached Berwick. The city was part of Scotland at that time and was the largest and most important Scottish city. While Berwick Castle was defended by a garrison under Sir William "the Hardy" of Douglas , the town was only lightly fortified with a moat and a wooden palisade.

Course of the conquest

Before the first attack on the city, the English king made some young men knights. The English ships accompanying the army held the ceremony for the signal to attack and sailed into the port of Berwick. The first ship ran aground and was set on fire by the bulkheads. Two subsequent ships also caught fire, but the crews of these ships were able to save themselves in boats. The other English ships then withdrew. When Edward I saw the burning ships, he gave the signal to attack. The wooden palisade was quickly overcome by the English knights, while the Scots, surprised by the sudden attack, offered no serious resistance. Since several English traders had been murdered in Berwick in the autumn of 1295 and the townspeople had previously mocked the king, the king gave the order not to spare any Scots. The English soldiers wreaked havoc in the city. Women were allowed to leave the city, but the men were killed. About thirty Flemish merchants bitterly defended their branch called Red Hall . The settlement went up in flames, and all the flames died in the flames or were slain. It was only when several clergymen asked the king to stop the slaughter that Edward I gave the order to spare the survivors. According to the information provided by the chroniclers, between 7,000 and 25,000 residents were killed, although these numbers are certainly exaggerated. The occupation of the castle surrendered a little later to the English and was treated knightly. She was granted free retreat, only the commander Douglas had to follow the king until the end of the campaign.

consequences

Edward I had the city rebuilt and settled by the English. It became the administrative center of the Scottish territories occupied by England. The Scots could not recapture the city until April 1318 .

literature

• Siege of Berwick, 1296. In: John Parker Lawson: Historical Tales of the Wars of Scotland, and of the Border Raids, Forays, and Conflicts. Volume 1, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh 1839, pp. 113-117 ( archive.org ).

Individual evidence

1. ^ Michael Prestwich: Edward I. University of California, Berkeley 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 470.
2. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 96.
3. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 99.
4. ^ Michael Prestwich: Edward I. University of California, Berkeley 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 471.
5. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 100.