Battle of Sark
| date | October 23, 1448 |
|---|---|
| place | Gretna , Dumfries and Galloway |
| output | Decisive Scottish victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| about 4000 men | about 6000 men |
| losses | |
|
up to 600 fallen |
up to 3000 dead |
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The Battle of Sark (also known as the Battle of Lochmaben Stone ) was fought between England and Scotland in October 1448 . Half a century later this battle was again an important victory for the Scots over the English, the last time they succeeded in defeating the southern neighbor in the Battle of Otterburn in August 1388. Success put the Scots back in a stronger position vis-à-vis England for a decade until 1461, when Edward IV ascended the throne. The battle brought the victorious Douglas clan to prominence in their Scottish homeland.
introduction
After the Scottish Wars of Independence , England and Scotland continued fighting on the border regularly. In 1448 hostilities escalated. Henry Percy , son of the 2nd Earl of Northumberland , destroyed Dunbar in May, and in June 1448 the Lord Warden of the March, Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury , destroyed the city of Dumfries . In response, William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas, with the support of the Earls of Ormond , Angus and Orkney , rallied and destroyed Warkworth and Alnwick . As the Scots advanced into Cumberland and Northumberland , Henry VI entitled . the loyal Percy clan to take revenge for it.
The battle
The first phase of the fight was initiated when the 2nd Earl of Northumberland led a 6,000-strong force to Scotland, where they camped near Lochmaben Stone . Their location was badly chosen because it was on a low plain between the tide-dependent mouths of the rivers River Sark and Kirtle Water in the River Esk . The Scots gathered under the leadership of Hugh Douglas, Earl of Ormond, about 4,000 men who were dug in Annandale and Nithsdale and advanced on October 23, 1448 against the Earl of Northumberland.
The Scots formed themselves into three departments, with the Earl of Ormond commanding the center, Sir William Wallace of Cragie , Sheriff of Ayr , the left wing and John Somerville of Carnwath , son of the 2nd Lord Somerville , the right wing. The English then formed themselves into three departments, the Earl of Northumberland commanded the center, while the right wing was commanded by Magnus Reidman and the left wing by Sir John Pennington. Both sides had men-at-arms in plate armor . The battle was opened with a few volleys of the English longbows , which the Scottish archers were unable to respond adequately. The Scots then launched a powerful attack and, despite their majority, pushed the English back to their camp in close combat with ax , spear and hip . When the English fled, they were surprised by the onset of the tide , which flooded parts of the plain and in which many English drowned.
losses
The number of Scots who lost their lives in battle varies from 26 (Auchinleck Chronicle) to up to 600 (Pitscottie), depending on the source. The number of English dead varies from 2000 (1500 fallen; 500 drowned) to 3000 (fallen and drowned). The only Scottish loss of rank was Sir John Wallace of Craigie, who died three months later of battle wounds. The English losses of rank were higher, Magnus Reidman was killed in action, Sir John Pennington and Henry Percy, son of the Earl of Northumberland, were imprisoned.
literature
- Ralph A. Griffiths: The Reign of Henry VI. University of California Press, Berkeley 1981, ISBN 0520043723 .
- Thomas Hodgkin: The Warden of the Northern Marches. University of London, 1908.
- G. Neilson: The Battle of Sark. In: Transactions of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society. Volume 13, 1898, p. 128 ff.
- Raymond Campbell Paterson: My Wound is Deep: History of the Anglo-Scottish Wars, 1380-1560, 1997.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Alexander Rose: Kings in the North . Phoenix, London 2002, ISBN 1842124854 , p. 480.
- ↑ a b Alexander Rose: Kings in the North . Phoenix, London 2002, ISBN 1842124854 , p. 481.
- ↑ Thomas Thomson (Ed.): Auchinleck Chronicle. Edinburgh 1819, pp. 18-19.
- ^ John Graham Dalyell (Ed.): The Chronicles of Scotland by Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie. Volume 1, Edinburgh 1814.