Battle at Kinghorn

Battle at Kinghorn

Part of: Scottish Wars of Independence

date	August 6, 1332
place	Kinghorn
output	Victory of the disinherited
consequences	Successful landing of the disinherited in Scotland

Parties to the conflict
Kingdom of Scotland	Kingdom of England
Commander
Duncan, 9th Earl of Fife Robert Bruce	Edward Balliol Henry de Beaumont
Troop strength
allegedly between 4,000 and 24,000 men	about 1500 men
losses
unknown , probably minor	unknown , probably minor

The Battle of Kinghorn was a military conflict at the start of the Second Scottish War of Independence . When they landed in Scotland by could England supported invaders, known as disinherited , on 6. August 1332 a Scottish squad to flight.

prehistory

Numerous English nobles rejected the peace treaty concluded between England and Scotland in 1328 . In the peace treaty they had to renounce their rights to Scottish possessions, which is why they were referred to as disinherited. From 1330 the disinherited prepared with the approval of the English King Edward III. proposed an attack on Scotland. When the Earl of Moray , the Scottish Guardian, died on July 20, 1332 , the disinherited acted swiftly and began their attack. In order to preserve the appearance of English neutrality, the disinherited and the Scottish heir apparent Edward Balliol, supported by them, could not cross the Anglo-Scottish border directly. So they decided to invade Scotland by sea. The disinherited forces of about 1,500 men embarked on July 31, 1332 in the Humber Estuary and sailed to the Firth of Forth . The Scots had learned of the plans of the disinherited and raised an army to repel the invasion. Since the new Scottish Guardian Domhnall, 8th Earl of Mar did not know whether the disinherited would land on the north or south bank of the Firth of Forth and since the Forth could only be crossed on a bridge at Stirling, which is far inland , he had divided the army.

Course of the battle

On August 6, 1332, the disinherited landed at Kinghorn on the north bank of the Firth of Forth. The north bank was to be defended by an army led by the Guardian himself, which was, however, further inland. Nevertheless, the disinherited encountered Scottish resistance when they landed. A force under the command of Duncan, 9th Earl of Fife , Robert Bruce, Lord of Liddesdale and Alexander Seton , son of the military Alexander Seton , tried to prevent the landing. Their force probably consisted of a contingent from Fife , which, according to contemporary chroniclers, was between 4,000 and 24,000 strong. As usual in the Middle Ages, these numbers were very likely grossly exaggerated. The vanguard of the invaders, presumably led by Henry de Beaumont , was able to land under the protection of the archers. A determined attack by the foot soldiers drove the Scots into flight into the adjacent hills before the men-at-arms of the disinherited men could intervene. The Scots suffered slight losses, with Alexander Seton among the dead.

consequences

After this victory, the disinherited could unload all their equipment. They first moved to Dunfermline , where they captured provisions and weapons. Then they moved north, where it came to battle with the Guardian's troops at Dupplin Moor .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Scotland. The Later Middle Ages (The Edinburgh History of Scotland, Vol. II. ) Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh 1974, ISBN 0-05-002038-2 , p. 125.
2. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 82.
3. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 83.