Battle of the Tweed

The Battle of the Tweed was a major battle in the Scottish Wars. Fought on June 12th, 1300, the battle saw the Scottish army under Lord-Protector William Jamieson defeat a gathering English army in a surpise attack.

Background
Since the Battle of the Passes, English forces had been withdrawn from Scotland itself. However, knews of William Jamiesons seizure of Edinburgh and his acension as Lord-Protector of Scotland, Edward I reformed his armies and sent his son to the Tweed River in southern Scotlands to form an army to begin raiding the Scottish Lowlands. However, William, hearing of the intrusion, mobolized a force of his own to stop the reformation of the Northern Army and strike into England.

Battle
For several weeks, the English gathered undisturbed, amassing an army about 8,000-strong by mid-June, although much of it was composed of untrained levies. However, on June 14th the Scottish army reached the Tweed and William decided to launch a surprise attack on the English camp.

The English vanguard, composed of cavalry, was stationed on the north bank of the river across shallow fords, while the main body of infantry was encamped on the south bank. In the middle of a torrential Summer downpour, William led a body of Scottish clansmen on a charge against the vanguard on the North bank, the clansmen charging through the camp and routing the surprised cavalrymen, who fled across the fords. Edward II, commanding the English, ordered his infantry to form a shield-wall on the Southern bank and they managed to repulse a Scottish assault before being attacked by a formation of Scottish pikemen, who rolled up their flank. The shield-wall fractured and the English fled, being pursued into the countryside for days following the battle.

Aftermath
The English took grevious casualties from the battle, and in the following weeks William invaded Northumbria and layed waste to the region, sacking both Carlisle and Newcastle in the week after the battle. The Northern Army desinegrated during the rout, and the remnents joined Edward I at the Tees River.