Bannockburn, Battle of, was one of the most important battles in the history of Scotland. It was fought at Bannockburn, Scotland, in 1314. The Scots, led by Robert Bruce, saved their country from foreign rule by defeating the English. The English outnumbered the Scots, but they were poorly led by King Edward II. The Scots fought from a better position and the English were too cramped for space to use their superior numbers. The Scots stopped the English partly by digging pits along the line of the attack. The English fled after suffering heavy losses.
Robert Burns wrote a poem, “Bruce to His Men at Bannockburn.” It contains the line, “Scots, wha hae wi’ Wallace bled.” The line refers to Sir William Wallace, a hero in the struggle for Scottish independence. Wallace led the Scots in a series of battles against the English between 1297 and 1305, when the English captured and executed him.
