Ancient Armour and Weapons in Europe: From the Iron Period of the Northern Nations to the End of the Thirteenth CenturyHewitt, John
History
Ancient Armour and Weapons in Europe: From the Iron Period of the Northern Nations to the End of the Thirteenth Century
Hewitt, John
Armor; Weapons
"At the same instant the Scots raised the shout of their country,
and the cries of 'Albany, Albany!' ascended to the heavens. But the
cries were soon drowned in the dreadful crash and the loud din of the
blows. When the ranks of the Men of Lothian, who had obtained from
the king of Scotland, though reluctantly on his part, the glory of
striking the first blow, hurling their darts and presenting their
lances of extraordinary length, bore down upon the English knights
encased in armour, striking, as it were, against a wall of iron, they
found them impenetrable. The archers of King Stephen, mingling among
the cavalry, poured their arrows like a cloud upon them, piercing
those who were not protected by armour. Meanwhile the whole of the
Normans and English stood in one dense phalanx around the standard,
perfectly immoveable. The chief commander of the Men of Lothian fell
slain, on which the whole of his men took to flight. On seeing this,
the main body of the Scots, which was contending with the greatest
valour in another part of the field, was alarmed and fled. Next,
the king's troop, which King David had formed of several clans, as
soon as it perceived this, began to drop off: at first, man by man,
afterwards in bodies; the king standing firm, and being at last left
almost alone. The king's friends seeing this, forced him to mount his
horse and take to flight. But Henry, his valiant son, not heeding the
example of his men, but solely intent on glory and valour, bravely
charged the enemy's line, and shook it by the wondrous vigour of
his onset. For his troop was the only one mounted on horseback, and
consisted of _English and Normans who formed a part of his father's
household_. His horsemen, however, were not long able to continue
their attacks against soldiers on foot, cased in armour, and standing
immoveable in close and dense ranks; but, with their lances broken,
and their horses wounded, were compelled to fly. Rumour says that
many thousands of the Scots were slain on that field, besides those
who, being taken in the woods and standing corn, were put to death.
Accordingly, the English and Normans happily gained the victory, and
with a very small effusion of blood." The standard which gave to this
battle of Cuton Moor its popular name, was formed of a mast placed
on a car, having at its summit a silver pix containing the Host, and
beneath, three banners, those of St. Peter, St. John of Beverley, and
St. Wilfrid of Ripon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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