Thursday June 24, 1314
2nd Battle of Bannockburn
Some people wonder why I'm not as interested in my own ancestry/culture as I am in Native culture, and my answer is because my European ancestry is much known in books and record the world over. Although an ancient civilization as any in the world, Native languages and history were, overall, based on oral tradition, rather than written traditions, and passed down from one generation to the next, until recent times. My gross ignorance of these people who populated the Americas long before my European ancestor’s arrival here, have long drawn my interest and piqued my thought more often, than me wonderin’ where my great grandparents on both sides of my family and their early kin came from, here, and across the sea.
That being said, I learned I have a bit of Scottish blood somewhere along my lineage. Looking for an almanac-type entry, for once, what do I discover happened on the 24th of June in 1314? The Battle of Bannockburn, Scotland, when King Edward II of England’s boisterous 10,000-man cavalry decided to have an easy romp over the measly 7000-man cavalry lead by the King of Scots Robert de Bruce.
Wait, that’s not entirely true; what I just wrote above. No, on the morning of June 24th, all the King’s men would have wished that it was only Humpty Dumpty they were facing, than the unruly Scottish forces again, having been soundly demoralized by them the day before on June 23rd, when Robert de Bruce swiftly cleaved English knight Henry de Bohun’s head from his shoulders with his battle ax, after de Bohun challenged him to a man-to-man contest on horseback in front of all the troops.
Just before their second engagement Robert de Bruce addressed his now-less-than-7000 soldiers with a rousing pep talk. This was to further engender their enthusiastic support necessary for yet another victory against King Ed’s still superior, although fewer, numbers after yesterday’s rout, when the Scots all but smacked their arrogant behinds off the field of battle.
It was a sad, sad day for the English, but you know how those kinds of tragedies can inspire others, especially on the winning side, and so it was 479 years later, in 1793, when Scottish poet Robert Burns commemorated the Battle of Bannockburn, and later turned it into song:
“Scots Wha Hae”
Written By Robert Burns (1759-1796) in 1793
about Robert Bruce addressing his soldiers at Bannockburn.
Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led;
Welcome to your gory bed,
Or to victory!
Now's the day, and now's the hour;
See the front o' battle lour;
See approach proud Edward's power—
Chains and slavery!
Wha will be a traitor knave?
Wha can fill a coward's grave!
Wha sae base as be a slave?
Let him turn and flee!
Wha for Scotland's king and law
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Freeman stand, or freeman fa',
Let him follow me!
By oppression's woes and pains!
By your sons in servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins,
But they shall be free!
Lay the proud usurpers low!
Tyrants fall in every foe!
Liberty's in every blow!—
Let us do or die!
Wha the hae
ReplyDeleteThe Scottish are a feisty crew, they say that they're born fighting
Removing heads or pulling corks, their days are all exciting
The baw’s on the slates fur Boris, too.
ReplyDeleteWonderful to hear a complementary history of European events.
ReplyDelete