No matter whether the only history you know is from Commando Comics or Horrible Histories, if there is one fact that almost every Scot knows, it is who won the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
A bloody contest that resulted in the unlikely outcome of the Scots squashing a numerically superior English force to end the Wars of Independence and secure their own national identity, Bannockburn stands as a landmark in Scottish history.
Writer Alistair Moffat has revisited this iconic battle to offer fresh insights and a renewed examination of the contest.
Not only does Moffat succeed in locating the event effectively within the political and social parameters of its times, he also sheds much needed light upon the ordinary men and women affecting the battle’s outcome.
Opposing kings Robert the Bruce and Edward II may have been the battle’s main protagonists, but Moffat triumphs in mastering the experiences of ordinary medieval fighters, showcasing the panic and confusion that accompanied warfare in the Middle Ages.
A carefully considered account of a well trodden historical event, Moffat enlightens and educates with an up-to-date interpretation of a battle firmly cemented in Scottish history.
Bannockburn, by Alistair Moffat, published by Birlinn, £12.99.
[review rating=”5″ align = “left”]
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