9th September 1513: Battle of Flodden marks the largest battle to ever take place between Scotland and England

Scott Allsop (0:00)

On the 9th of September 1513, the Battle of Flodden marked the largest battle to ever take place between Scotland and England. Welcome to HistoryPod.

After King Henry VIII of England invaded France in 1513, King Louis XII asked his Scottish ally James IV to attack England and force Henry to withdraw some of his forces. James responded by gathering an army of up to 40,000 men and crossed the border into northern England, capturing several castles before moving south. The English response was led by Thomas Howard, the Earl of Surrey, who assembled an army of approximately 26,000 men. While James had already taken up a strong defensive position on Flodden Edge, Surrey manoeuvred around the Scottish army and approached from the north. This forced James to abandon his position, and the two armies eventually faced each other near the village of Brankston.

On the afternoon of 9th September, the Scottish army advanced from its elevated position in several large formations, using long pikes as their principal infantry weapon. The English formations were mostly equipped with shorter pole arms suited to close combat. While several Scottish divisions initially pushed back their opponents, the English gradually gained the advantage. In the centre, James IV personally led his troops against Surrey's division. The king was killed during the fighting, along with members of the Scottish nobility.

Around 10,000 Scots are thought to have died, while English losses were considerably lower. 12 Earls, 15 Lords, and numerous other nobles and clan chiefs were killed in the battle, removing much of Scotland's political and military leadership in a single engagement. In the aftermath, James IV was succeeded by his infant son, James V, which led to a period of political instability, as regents struggled against each other for control.