On This Day In History: Battle of Stirling Bridge Took Place – On Sep 11, 1297

AncientPages.com - On September 11, 1297, the Battle of Stirling Bridge took place near Stirling, at River Forth. It was the first Scottish Freedom War when Andrew Moray and William Wallace's forces met John de Warenne, the 7th earl of Surrey and Hugh de Cressingham's combined English forces.

The forces of Andrew Moray and William Wallace defeated the combined English forces of John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, and Hugh de Cressingham near Stirling, on the River Forth.

Stirling Bridge, Scotland). Image credit: Davidmeisner - Public Domain

In Stirling, Scotland, a large part of the English North Army was defeated and destroyed during the first Scottish Freedom War. Under the direction of William Wallace, an uprising had started in May of 1297. The English sent a great army north to bend the uprising.

The small bridge was broad enough to let only two horsemen cross abreast but offered the safest river crossing. The Scots waited as the English knights and infantry made their slow progress across the bridge on this early morning. It would have taken several hours for the entire English army to cross.

According to the Chronicle of Hemingburgh, Wallace and Moray waited until "as many of the enemy had come over as they believed they could overcome".

At Stirling Bridge, they were scared of the bronze narrow width; only three people could walk across the bridge at the same time. But the English began to go over, and soon half of the English army was on the other side of the river.

Then Wallace attacked his scouts in two army groups. One would storm into the English, and the other would cut off their escape route at the bridge. Only half of the English people crossed the bridge, but the Scots were worse equipped than the English and fewer.

At a rapid pace, the English were slaughtered. More crowded on the bridge to get over, and several drowned due to poor swimming and heavy equipment.

Several thousand English people flew in fear and the bridge broke out - the rest of the English army flew into horror.

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