King John Balliol defied King Edward I of England by not helping him in his war against the French. The English king invaded Scotland to make King John pay for standing up to him.
Find out about the Battle of Dunbar - the battle that started the Wars of Independence
NARRATOR:The Wars of Independence. The Battle of Dunbar 1296.
Dunbar Castle is surrounded by an invading English Army. They’ve been sent by King Edward the First to punish Scotland for taking sides with France, England’s enemy!
Scotland’s King John Balliol, has sent his Scottish Knights to the rescue!
That’s you! You’re a Knight in the Scottish Army. You’re the best Scotland’s Army has got! As a Knight you’re used to charging head first at the enemy!
You can’t wait to chase the English away and rescue your friends, trapped inside Dunbar Castle!
KNIGHT:Look at the English Knights. Surrounding the castle. There must be hundreds. Aye, but there’s hundreds of us.
The English Army are moving! They’ve seen us! Up here! On Doon Hill! I bet they’re terrified to see us up here! No wonder!
Look at me straight on! Every bit covered! Chainmail, helmet, shield! I’m pretty invincible. And when we charge all in a line? Heh heh. There’s no escape!
But what’s this? The English are crossing the Spott Burn. Are they leaving? They’re all over the place! Now’s the time to strike! Shall we go down and chase them away!? Shall we?
Quick! Now’s our chance! …….Oh… They weren’t leaving their lines. They only split up to cross the burn. And now, they’re getting back into line!
Now we’re a mess and they’re organised! And ready to…
Aaaaahhhhhhh! ~ !
NARRATOR:
The Scots lost the battle in one charge. Most escaped into the forests. Over a hundred Scottish Knights were captured by the English. The rest were on the run, leaving the country defenceless.
Three Months later John Balliol was no longer King and English Soldiers occupied the land.
What happened at the Battle of Dunbar?
In 1296 Edward I invaded Scotland. King John Balliol had signed a treaty with France, Edward's enemy. Edward thought this was disloyal. The Scottish and English armies fought at Dunbar.
The battle ended with one cavalry charge. The Scottish army was beaten and forced to run.
Most of them escaped but around 100 Scottish knights were captured and held prisoner in England.
One of these prisoners was Andrew Murray - who would later escape and beat Edward's army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge
What happened after the battle?
With no army to protect him, King John surrendered.
Edward ripped the royal insignia from his tunic. He removed the Stone of Destiny, the stone on which Scottish kings were crowned, from Scotland to stop the Scottish lords making another king. Balliol was made a prisoner in England.
Edward didn't have all his own way for too long, though. A man called William Wallace was planning to fight back…
Battle of Dunbar: Key moments
Image caption, Cavalry
The Battle of Dunbar was mostly fought by cavalry - knights on horses.
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