The+Battle+of+Falkirk


 * The Battle of Falkirk**

The battle of Falkirk took place the 22nd July 1298 in Falkrik, Scotland. It was one of the biggest battle in the First War of Scottish Independence. It was led by King Edward I of England. The Enligsh army won over the Scots which was led by William Wallace.

The Battle: When Edward had heard that the Scits camped near Falkrik he led his army to them. Wallace men formed four big groups, they held their ground. The Scots bowmen was under Sir John Stewart of Jedburgh, they weren’t many and they waited on horsebacks.

Wallace called out to his men this: ”I have brought you to the ring - now dance if you can”.

The Welsh didn’t want to attack so Edward sent in two big groups of mounted knights. They tried to break the groups but they couldn’t. The knights fell and at the moment when the Scots should have joined the fight they turned their horses around and rode away from the battle.

When they rode away the English knights cut the Scots down and they killed their leader Sir John Stewart. The English longbow was a deadly wepon and Edward began to break the groups. Edward sent his knights to finish the Scots.

William Wallace managed to escape, and the surviving Scots fled into the woods. Wallace friend Sir John had been killed and Wallace resigned as Guardian shortly after the battle at Falkirk. And for Edward Scotland was his to hold, at least until a new Scottish champion arose, which was Robert Bruce.

Elin Hallerstedt

**The Battle of Falkirk** The Battle of Falkirk which took place on 22 july 1298, was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence. Led by King Edward l of England the English army defeated the Scots led by William Wallace and shortly after the battle Wallace resigned as Guardian of Scotland.

__**The battle**__ Wallace had his pikemen adopt a new formation, later called a ”schiltron”. This was a square (or circle) formation, with the front line kneeling, so that the English cavalry would meet a bristling wall of pikes. The English quickly dispersed the Scot cavalry and bowmen, but the schiltron turned them back.

Now Edward unleashed his own new tactic, the longbow. His bowmen poured a rain of arrows upon the Scots, and opened huge gaps in the schiltron. The damage done, the English cavalry crushed the Scottish force. Wallace and his barons escaped, but the carnage among the pikemen was terrible.

Linus 8b