By Princess Charlotte (Medieval Battle Expert) This is the fifth instalment in my medieval battle series. So far we have covered the battles of Hastings, Crecy, Agincourt and Bosworth but I have yet to cover anything beyond England's northern border and up into Scotland. It was rather busy up there. Here is my account about one of the most important battles that took place during the Wars of Scottish Independence (1296-1328) - Bannockburn. In June 1314, Robert the Bruce faced

By Princess Charlotte (Medieval Warfare Expert) If medieval warfare had a moment when everyone realised the old rules no longer applied, it happened on a hillside in northern France on the 26th August, 1346. When we mention the Battle of Crécy we really should be talking about a French victory that looked pretty inevitable when the two armies met. The English army, led by King Edward III had other ideas. King Edward III's English army was tired, outnumbered and deep inside en

By Chris Livemore I can't lie. This one was entirely my fault and I’m not even able to partially shift the blame. Nobody asked me to explain what a shield wall was. Nobody knew what a shield wall was. Nobody cared what a shield was. Nobody except me. My two eldest children were perfectly happy hitting each other with sofa cushions — randomly, enthusiastically, and without any tactical structure whatsoever. I introduced the tactical structure. And then they joined forces. It