Anglo-Scottish Wars of 1513–1560
The Anglo-Scottish Wars of 1513–1560 were a series of conflicts between England and Scotland, largely driven by territorial disputes and shifting alliances, particularly influenced by the broader European political landscape. The tensions began after the Tudor Dynasty came to power, leading to border skirmishes and the eventual signing of a peace treaty in 1504, which was briefly disrupted by renewed hostilities. A significant conflict occurred at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, where the Scots suffered a devastating defeat, resulting in the death of King James IV and many nobles.
Throughout the 16th century, Scottish attempts to consolidate power under James V faced challenges from English military actions and political maneuvering, including invasions and raids. Following James V's death in 1542, his infant daughter Mary ascended to the throne, and the political landscape further complicated with the Treaty of Greenwich, which sought to secure a marriage alliance with England but was ultimately annulled.
The wars saw fluctuating fortunes, but by the late 1550s, the conflicts took on a religious dimension, with skirmishes involving Scottish Presbyterians and French forces. The culmination of these hostilities was the Treaty of Edinburgh in 1560, which aimed to establish peace and withdraw foreign troops from Scotland, allowing for a more stable political framework. The aftermath set the stage for Mary, Queen of Scots, to reclaim her throne in 1562, marking a significant moment in the tumultuous history of Anglo-Scottish relations.
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Anglo-Scottish Wars of 1513–1560
At issue: Peaceful borders, royal marriage, and Scottish independence
Date: 1513–1560
Location: England, Scotland
Combatants: English vs. Scots
Principal commanders:English, Thomas Howard I, earl of Surrey, earl of Somerset (1473–1554), Edward Seymour, first duke of Somerset (c. 1500–1552); Scottish, James IV (1473–1513), James V (1512–1542), Oliver Sinclair
Principal battles: Flodden, Solway Moss, Pinkie
Result: Scotland kept its independence, and the legitimacy of both Mary and Elizabeth was accepted
Background
When the Tudor Dynasty came to power in 1485, Scottish king James IV aided rival claimants. This led to border skirmishes until James IV signed a peace treaty in 1504, sealed by his marriage to Henry VII’s daughter Margaret.
The resumption of hostilities in northern Italy between the allies of the pope, France, and Spain tempted England and Scotland to abandon their neutrality. After England joined the Holy League against France, England seized several Scottish merchantmen and refused to return them. Scotland also experienced raids on its border. These acts prompted James IV to sign a Franco-Scottish alliance in 1512.
Action
After Henry VIII led an English expedition to victory at the Battle of Spurs on August 16, 1513, James took advantage of Henry’s absence and French aid to lead an invasion of England on August 22, 1513. Thomas Howard I, earl of Surrey and Somerset, mobilized northern England, and James spent much time taking Norham, Wark, Etal, and Ford Castles. When the two armies met on September 9, 1513, at Flodden, each with about 200,000 men, Howard outmaneuvered the Scots and won a stunning victory. The English suffered fewer than 1,500 fatalities, but the Scottish king, 29 nobles, and more than 10,000 soldiers died. Hostilities ended with a peace treaty in August, 1514.
During the minority of James V, Scotland maintained its French alliance, and border incidents remained a common occurrence. When English forces harassed the French coast in 1521, James V gathered his forces for another invasion of England, but the nobility refused. In 1523, after efforts to induce James to marry Princess Mary failed, Henry sent a force under the duke of Norfolk and burned several towns. James gathered his forces a second time, but the nobles still refused to invade England. James spent much of his reign consolidating his power and avoiding Henry’s schemes. As English pressure mounted, James married Mary of Guise in 1538 and promised Henry to meet in September, 1541, but never came to the meeting.
This led to a resumption of border hostilities in 1542. English levies raided Scotland and were victorious at Hadon, Roxbury, Kelso, and elsewhere. After the Scottish nobles again refused to fight, James gathered a large force under the command of his favorite, Oliver Sinclair. This weak and disorganized force suffered a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss on November 24, 1542.
James V died in December, 1542, and his week-old daughter ascended to the throne as Mary, Queen of Scots. On August 25, 1543, the Treaty of Greenwich was ratified, providing for peace and a royal marriage between Mary and Prince Edward when he became ten. The return of Earl James Hamilton of Arran created a new government, annulled the treaty, and renewed the Anglo-French alliance.
In 1544, England sent Edward Seymour, earl of Hertford, to invade Scotland. The earl quickly captured Edinburgh, Holyrood, and Leith. During the following year, more than 250 villages, monasteries, and towns were burned, and the west counties were plundered. The Scots refused to send the five-year-old Mary to England.
After the death of Henry VIII in 1547, Seymour, now duke of Somerset and lord protector of England, resumed England’s “rough courting” of Scotland by sending an army that decisively defeated the Scots at Pinkie in September, 1547, before it captured Haddington and threatened Lothian. Princess Mary was sent to France as experienced French troops arrived to help the Scots recapture Haddington. The Treaty of Boulogne in 1550 ended this campaign.
After Elizabeth became queen of England in 1558, religious rioting resumed in Scotland. Scottish Presbyterian and French forces skirmished around Edinburgh and Leith. In February, 1558, the Treaty of Berwick was signed, but hostilities resumed, and Lord Gray marched into Scotland and helped in the capture of Leith in 1560.
Aftermath
In July, 1560, the Treaty of Edinburgh was signed, withdrawing all English and French forces from Scotland, guaranteeing the rights of Elizabeth and Mary to rule their respective countries peacefully, and protecting Presbyterians from retribution. Queen Mary returned home in 1562.
Bibliography
Caldwell, David H. “The Battle of Pinkie.” In Scotland and War, a.d. 79-1918, edited by Norman MacDougall. Savage, Md.: Barnes & Noble, 1991.
Hoak, Dale, ed. Tudor Political Culture. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
Jordan, W. K. Edward VI. 2 vols. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1968–1970.
Philipps, Gervase. The Anglo-Scots Wars, 1513–1550: A Military History. Warfare in History series. Rochester, N.Y.: Boydell Press, 1999.