Standard battle

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Standard battle
date August 22, 1138
place Cowton Moor, Yorkshire
output Victory of the English
Parties to the conflict

Kingdom of England

Kingdom of Scotland

Commander

Thurstan

David I.

Troop strength
up to 12,000 up to 16,000
losses

unknown

up to 12,000

The Standard Battle took place on August 22, 1138 on Cowton Moor near Northallerton in Yorkshire and was a clash during the English Civil War from 1135 to 1154 .

prehistory

After the death of King Henry I of England , a power struggle began between his daughter Matilda and her cousin Stephan , the Duke of Boulogne , because both claimed the throne for themselves. The Scottish side sided with Matilda, but it was Stephen who won the crown. Scotland's King David I did not want to accept this. After invading northern England twice in 1138, but being thrown back by Stephen at the head of a sizeable royal army, he finally managed to penetrate deep into English territory in the summer while Stephen was fighting a revolt in the south.

Course of the battle

The English were led by Thurstan , the Archbishop of York . He had gathered a mixed army, including soldiers from Yorkshire, the North Midlands , some local barons, and the vigilantes from York , Beverley , Ripon, and Durham . They gathered around chariots which carried the consecrated flags of St. Peter of York, St. John of Beverley, St. Wilfrid of Ripon, and St. Cuthbert of Durham. It was these standards that gave the battle its name. The English decided on a surprise action and met the Scots at 6 a.m. on August 22nd after a night march.

The Scottish army, under the command of King David I of Scotland , had already taken Cumberland , Northumberland , the city of Carlisle and the royal castle at Bamburgh .

There were two hills by the road. On the southern one the English drove one of their chariots with a standard. Their knights dismounted from their horses to fight on foot. The horses were brought into the hinterland. Norman archers were posted in front of the knights .

The Scots camped on the northern hill. Contrary to the royal plan, the Gallway Highlanders enforced their time-honored right to begin the battle. They were placed in the middle, supported on the left and right by the rest of the warriors. The Scots fought their way up the southern hill in the attack, inflicting heavy losses on the archers. Although they later managed to break through in the middle of the English line, their attempt to seize the horses failed; their guards drove the Scots back again. When King David wanted to throw his people in reserve into battle, they - perhaps in view of the many dead - turned shortly afterwards and fled across the fields. Finally the Scots withdrew. The English refrained from pursuing them.

The Scottish Army suffered a heavy defeat. It suffered losses mainly from the shelling of the English archers. It is estimated that between 11,000 and 12,000 Scots were killed. The dead are believed to have been buried near the village of North Cowton.

consequences

David I had to return to Scotland. The high losses made further attacks by the Scots in the following period impossible. However, they remained a threat to the English.

literature

  • Johann Martin Lappenberg: History of England. Volume 2. F. Perthes 1837
  • Charles Knight: Half hours of English history. Routledge, Warne, and Routledge 1860

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Info from the UK Battlefields Resource Center , accessed on August 22, 2013. - This information, which is based on medieval sources, is, however, viewed by serious historical research as unrealistic.
  2. ↑ http://www.science-at-home.de/wiki/index.php/Standartenschlacht
  3. ↑ http://www.britainexpress.com/History/battles/standard.htm

Coordinates: 54 ° 22 ′ 0 ″  N , 1 ° 27 ′ 0 ″  W.