Battle of Roslin

Battle of Roslin

Part of: Scottish Wars of Independence

Memorial to the Battle of Roslin

date	February 24, 1303
place	Roslin (Midlothian) , Scotland
output	Scottish victory

Parties to the conflict
Kingdom of Scotland	Kingdom of England
Commander
Simon Fraser John Comyn	John Seagrave
Troop strength
unknown	unknown
losses
unknown, probably easy	unknown, probably difficult

The Battle of Roslin was a battle in the first Scottish War of Independence . It took place on February 24, 1303 near Roslin, south of Edinburgh . A Scottish army under Simon Fraser and John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch defeated an English army under John Seagrave, 2nd Baron Seagrave .

prehistory

After a large-scale campaign to Scotland had not brought a decision, the English King Edward I concluded a temporary armistice with Scotland in January 1302. John de Soules , the previous Scottish Guardian , traveled with an embassy to France in the autumn of 1302 to ask the French king for further assistance. He was succeeded as leader of the Scottish Resistance by John Comyn of Badenoch. When the armistice expired in November 1302, the English had not yet prepared a new campaign. The king did not call up his army for a new campaign until May 1302. After the Scottish attacks in January 1303, the English king ordered that John Seagrave, his governor in Scotland, should lead a Chevauchée in retaliation to the Scottish-controlled areas west of Edinburgh. The English wanted to advance to Kirkintilloch .

Involved armed forces

The information on troop strengths varies greatly. What is certain is that Seagrave divided his force into three battalions, possibly in order to be able to loot a larger area. The first battalion was led by himself, the second by Ralph Manton, and the third by Robert Neville and William Latimer . While Neville and Latimer were noble knights, Manton was one of the most important officials of the English occupation as Cofferer of the Wardrobe . In addition to English knights and soldiers, the army probably also included many Scots who fought loyally on the English side. Allegedly it should have been a total of 30,000 men, which, however, as with many medieval figures, is considered completely exaggerated. According to the salary lists received, Seagrave had 53 men-at-arms in Berwick and 38 men-at-arms in Roxburgh in southeastern Scotland . The king had ordered the expedition to be mounted, so the armed forces were unlikely to have any foot soldiers.

All that is known about the Scottish armed forces is that they were also mounted and under the command of John Comyn and Simon Fraser. According to older information, the army is said to have comprised between 8,000 and 10,000 men, which is also considered highly exaggerated.

Course of the battle

The expedition led by Seagrave initially met with little resistance. Manton is said to have sent two scouts to Linlithgow on February 22nd , where a Scottish force was besieging a Peel tower . On the other hand, the English believed that the Scots would not go into open battle, as they did on the last campaigns. When the English reached Roslin, about 8 km from Edinburgh, each of the English battalions set up its own camp. The area where the English pitched their camps was very confusing due to the hilly terrain, which was cut through by deeply cut, partly wooded streams. The Scottish troops set out from Biggar and reached Roslin in a night ride. When they reached the camp of the English battalion led by Seagrave, they attacked immediately. Presumably they hadn't realized that they were only facing part of the English army. After they had defeated the English battalion by the surprise attack, the Scots apparently believed that they had defeated the entire English army. A number of the English, including the badly wounded Seagrave, had been captured. Survivors of the Scottish attack are said to have warned the second English battalion. This appeared ready for action on the battlefield when the Scots had already started distributing the booty. According to other sources, the Scots advanced further and met the English. In a bitter battle they were able to defeat the English and also storm the second English camp. Only now the third English battalion is said to have appeared, which must have set up camp some distance away. Comyn and Fraser realized that withdrawing would put the Scots in a dangerous position, as both their troops and horses were exhausted and tired. With difficulty they were able to lead the Scottish troops into another battle, but they remained victorious. According to some information, the Scots are said to have murdered their prisoners beforehand, but this is probably not the case, because Seagrave was freed by Robert Neville. Simon Fraser is said to have sharply reprimanded the fatally wounded Manton because despite his clerical status he wore armor and allegedly had betrayed the English king. There is no reliable information about the further losses, but both sides probably suffered greater losses. Allegedly Robert Neville is said to have also died, but he did not actually die until 1319.

Consequences and aftermath

In fact, in three battles, the Scots were able to inflict a heavy defeat on a numerically superior English army. By rescuing Seagrave, the English were barely able to prevent a catastrophic defeat. The success boosted Scottish morale and the determination to continue fighting the English occupation. But he also encouraged the English king to lead a new campaign to Scotland in order to break the Scottish resistance. Due to the scarce sources, the scope and significance of the battle is unclear. In part, the victory of the Scots is exaggerated, while the battle is hardly mentioned on the English side. It is possible that contemporary Scottish portrayals of Robert the Bruce were suppressed. At the time of the battle he was still on the English side and later wanted to diminish the merits of John Comyn, who he murdered in 1306, as king.

Some field names, such as the stream Kill Burn , which is said to have been red with blood, and Shinbane's Field , which may have been a mass grave, are believed to be due to the battle. In 1994, Roslin Heritage Society volunteers erected a cairn to commemorate the battle.

Web links

• Battlefield entry . In: Historic Scotland .
• Rosslyn-Chapel: The Battle of Roslin 1303 (PDF file)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Michael Prestwich: Edward I. University of California, Berkeley 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 498.
2. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 178.
3. ^ Michael Prestwich: Edward I. University of California, Berkeley 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 142.
4. ↑ The Inventory of Historic Battlefields - Battle of Roslin (PDF). Retrieved February 24, 2017.
5. ↑ Midlothian's 100 objects - the Battle of Roslin. Retrieved June 18, 2020 .