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Revision as of 12:56, 6 June 2003 by Stan Shebs (talk | contribs) (completed the leadin, copyedited, but needs more work still)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Battle of Flodden or Flodden Field was fought in northern England on September 9, 1513, between an invading Scots army under King James IV and an English army commanded by Thomas Howard.
The battle actually took place near the village of Branxton in the county of Northumberland, rather than at Flodden - hence the alternative name of Battle of Branxton. The Scots had previously been stationed at Flodden, near to Branxton.
This was the last battle to take place in the county.
The battle was the climax of days of manoeuvring, with the Scottish schiltrons relinquishing the defensive high ground in order to come to grips with the English, whose billmen wielded a devastating weapon that was more than a match for the Scottish spears that had changed little since Bannockburn. In the bloody slogging match that characterised such warfare, the Scots were eventually encircled and cut to pieces. The Scottish reserve led by the Duke of Argyll, who was to pay for this inaction with his head many years later, watched impassively as King James and his army was destroyed. The king, many of his nobles, and over 10,000 men were all killed.
It was a major milestone on the way to unifying the kingdoms of England and Scotland in 1707.
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk and 1st Earl of Surrey was Lieutenant General and largely responsible for the Tudor victory for Henry VIII of England.
Skirmishes over the English - Scottish border had been taking place for centuries, and was perhaps the longest such 'war' on record. On this occasion the Scots had agreed with the French to attack England to divert English troops from their campaign against the French king Louis XII in the Italian Wars as a member of the Holy League.
See also 1707 Act of Union between England and Scotland.