1. The Irish Campaign

2. The Irish Campaign
25/3/19
AIM – Learn about the Bruces’ Irish campaign.
SUCCESS CRITERIA –
Be able to describe the events of Edward Bruce’s Irish campaign.
Be able to explain the significance of the Irish campaign to the wider war.
Be able to describe the events following the Irish campaign in the warzone of southern Scotland - northern England.
TASKS
Copy today’s aim and heading into your jotter.
Through class questioning, recap the short term and long term consequences of the Battle of Bannockburn.
Go through today’s PPt, taking notes of information given in bold and watching the video clips.
HOMEWORK (due in TODAY)
Complete the ‘explain’ question on Bannockburn.
REMINDER
Scottish Paper Higher History supported study now running every Wednesday after school in B204 (Mrs Hunter’s room). This week: the ‘explain’ question.
ALSO
Sign up for Easter school if you are planning to attend.
Note that whilst Scotland is busy with the campaigns of the Bruces, John Balliol quietly dies on his estates in France in late 1314.

3. The Irish Campaign
In 1315, King Robert opened a second front by sending Edward Bruce with an army to invade Ireland.
This was Bruce’s most ambitious plan yet. Since 1198, the English had held power across a significant portion of Ireland.
The Bruces wanted to put further pressure on King Edward II and prevent him from using his Irish recruits against them in future wars.
In 1198, King Henry II of England had invaded Ireland and given the part of it he controlled to his son John as a Lordship when John was just 10 in When John succeeded to the English throne in 1199, he remained Lord of Ireland thereby bringing the kingdom of England and the lordship of Ireland into personal union. By the mid-13th century, while the island was nominally ruled by the king of England, from c.1260 the effective area of control began to recede. As various Cambro-Norman noble families died out in the male line, the Gaelic nobility began to reclaim lost territory. Successive English kings did little to stem the tide, instead using Ireland to draw upon men and supplies in the wars in Scotland and France.
By the 1390s the Lordship had effectively shrunk to the Pale with the rest of the island under the control of independent Gaelic-Irish or rebel Cambro-Norman noble families. King Richard II of England made two journeys to Ireland during his reign to rectify the situation; as a direct result of his second visit in 1399 he lost his throne to Henry Bolingbroke. This was the last time that a medieval king of England visited Ireland.
For the duration of the 15th century, royal power in Ireland was weak, the country being dominated by the various clans and dynasties of Gaelic (O'Neill, O'Brien, MacCarthy) or Cambro-Norman (Burke, FitzGerald, Butler) origin.
Edward Bruce arrived with an army composed of the experienced and battle-hardened veterans of Bannockburn. Although not a large army, they would have been effective in the field.
Play from
The Gaelic prize: Edward Bruce came to Ireland looking for more than just a pot of gold at the end of his rainbow.

4. For the ambitious Edward Bruce, this new campaign offered him the chance for a throne of his own.
At first the campaign showed signs of success: Edward Bruce’s meetings with the Gaelic Irish lords saw him crowned as the high king of Ireland in May 1316.
He defeated several English forces, capturing key English-held strongholds at the port of Dundalk and the fortress of Carrickfergus, whilst avoiding larger English armies. .
Does it fit?: After years of loyal service, Edward Bruce now saw the opportunity to step out from under his brother’s shadow.

5. Early victories did not establish long term authority for Edward Bruce.
Local feuds between Irish chieftains led to Edward Bruce having to fight men who had only recently pledged to be his allies.
The Scottish army marched across Ireland, devastating the local population, but they lacked the equipment, supplies and numbers to capture Dublin or many other English-held castles.
Even King Robert arriving himself, leading a fresh Scottish army, failed to secure victory for Edward Bruce.
A mini ice-age blew across Northern Europe from 1315 onwards, resulting in several successive years of poor crops. With such a reduced harvest, Edward Bruce could not supply his army for long in the field. Dublin was just too far from his base in Ulster in the north or Ireland to successfully keep his army in the field long enough to prosecute a siege and an assault on the town. Robert Bruce returned to Scotland after one season of campaigning.
The Irish question: throughout the centuries, war in Ireland has always been dangerous, offering untold pitfalls and shocking violence to the unprepared.

6. After 3 years of fighting, Edward Bruce’s only achievements were retaining control over his family lands of Ulster and recapturing the Isle of Man.
Disaster struck in October Eager to gain some prestige before Robert returned with yet another army to assist him, Edward Bruce launched a rash attack into Meath.
The Scots were ambushed at the Battle of Fochart. The Scottish army were wiped out and Edward Bruce was slain by a common soldier from Drogheda. .
“They’re all around us, Sire!”: Edward Bruce realises he’d fatally overstepped the mark at Fochart.

7. Whilst the Irish campaign was singularly disastrous for Edward Bruce, it was not so catastrophic to the Scottish cause.
The Irish campaign caused serious concerns for the English in their war against the Scots. In England, military leaders were worried about the Bruce’s ability to take the war to English holdings in Ireland.
Edward Bruce’s defeat in Ireland cost the Bruces a number of experienced soldiers who fought in their army at Bannockburn. The loss of such experience on the battlefield would have been a blow to the Scottish cause.
“Is this all I am to be remembered for? I tried so hard… but in the end, it doesn’t really matter…”

8. The Bruce’s success led to a fear that a combined ‘Celtic fringe’ alliance may emerge with the Scots, the Irish and the Welsh uniting against England.
Before his death, Edward Bruce had sent letters to Welsh chieftains promising help in driving the English out of Wales. This had led to 1000s of Welsh soldiers being sent home from English armies for fear they would rebel and join the Scots.
The overall effect of the Irish campaign was to force England to divert significant time and resources from the war against the Scots in Northern England. .
“I wish they’d make their mind up, I’m right fed up of all this marching, Dafydd…”: Welsh levies marched to northern England to take part in the year’s campaigns…and then were told to march back home again!

9. 1319: Edward’s new invasion
Edward Bruce’s death lifted English morale. By 1319, Edward II was in York, planning a major new invasion into Scotland.
By late August, he had mustered 1500 cavalry and 8000 infantry at Newcastle. Smaller than his Bannockburn army, it still doubled any force the Bruce could gather.
Edward’s army marched north and laid siege to Berwick, probably hoping to lure the Bruce into battle and gain revenge for Bannockburn.
I will not be thwarted!: like a ‘final destination’ sequel, Edward II was determined that this time the killing would be relentless.

10. Once again, Bruce had humiliated Edward.
Bruce however had already sent a sizeable Scottish army south, under Randolph and Douglas, to raid into Yorkshire.
The Scots did as much damage to Yorkshire as possible. Edward was forced to abandon the siege of Berwick to head south and try to catch the invaders.
He failed to do so. Randolph and Douglas slipped back home – not because of the threat of Edward, but because they simply could not carry any more loot.
Once again, Bruce had humiliated Edward.
That moment when you realise the army you were trying to lure into a trap are actually over at your place nicking all the pot plants from your back garden.

11. Supporting videos
BBC docudrama ‘After Bannockburn’ explores the Irish campaign in detail. It can be found in two episodes:
Episode 1:
Episode 2: