 Of all the battles that took place in the British Isles down through the ages, the war cries of the Battle of Bannockburn ring among the loudest. Fought in 1314 between the King of Scotland, Robert I or Robert the Bruce as he is more commonly known and King Edward II of England, the battle is one of the most iconic in history. To understand the Battle of Bannockburn however, we need to understand the broader struggle that it took place within, namely the First Scottish War of Independence, which lasted from 1296 to 1328. The First Scottish War of Independence grew out of a succession crisis, after Alexander III of Scotland died in 1286, followed by his heir, Margaret, made of Norway, dying in 1290. This vacuum of power sparked a contest for the crown between John Belial and Robert Bruce, the grandfather of the more famous Robert the Bruce who fought at Bannockburn. This dispute resulted in King Edward I who ruled England from 1273 to 1307, stepping in to mediate, awarding Belial the crown in 1292. The crafty English King exploited this appointment however, frequently meddling in Scottish affairs. In 1295, the Scottish nobility, sick of Belial's weak leadership and failure to maintain Scotland's independence, signed the Old Alliance with France, the arch-enemy of England. Edward's response was to invade Scotland, which began when English forces sacked important Scottish border town of Berwick in 1296. In response to Edward's invasion, a resistance movement led by William Wallace and Andrew Dumoré, formed, with this movement going on to win important battles including its Stirling Bridge in 1297. However, the loss at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298 and further defeats resulted in England controlling large parts of Scotland, including taking control of Stirling Castle between 1303 and 1304. Resistance to English rule renewed when Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scotland in 1306, only a few months after Bruce had killed the Baron and rival leader, John Common. Thought to have been due to a disagreement between the two men over the Scottish throne, although the reasons as to why Bruce and his men stabbed Common to death are far from clear. Regardless of the reasons, Bruce became King shortly after, and resistance to English rule began to increase again, with Bruce successfully employing guerrilla warfare tactics. By 1314, there were only two Scottish fortresses controlled by England, one at Berwick and the other at Stirling Castle. In early 1314, Bruce's forces had struck a deal with the English garrison at Stirling, agreeing that if no English reinforcements had been dispatched by mid-summer, the castle would be surrendered to Bruce. By May, King Edward II was marching an army of around 13,000 men to Stirling Castle, the largest army to ever invade Scotland up until that point. The battle that ensued is one of the most famous in Scottish history. The battle of Bannockburn took place between the 23rd and 24th of June, 1314, and was likely fought on ground to the south of Stirling Castle, ground which had been carefully chosen by Bruce. The Bannock and Pellstream Burns offered natural barriers to the east, and Bruce's forces dug concealed pits to impede the charging English cavalry. The epic opening exchange of the battle set the tone for the entire episode. Mounted on a horse, Bruce was at the front of his troops. An English knight spotted the English king and charged his horse towards Bruce, leading with his lance. Just as the English knight reached Bruce, the Scots slipped the lance by twisting his mount off to the side, instantly propelling himself back up and smashing his axe through the English warrior's skull, killing him instantly. Energised, the Scottish fighters forced Edward's cavalry to withdraw. As the battle progressed, English attempts to outflank the Scots failed, and Bruce's infantry stood strong. Bruce had won the opening day. During the night, a Scottish noble who was serving in the English army defected to Bruce and brought him crucial intelligence, giving the Scots an edge the following day. When battle on the second day ensued, the English army failed to effectively utilise their archers, and the Scottish forces tore through the chaotic English lines as they began to disintegrate. As Edward fled, hundreds of English soldiers drowned in the burn as they desperately tried to escape the slaughter. The following day, English forces in Stirling Castle surrendered to Bruce. In the aftermath of the battle, Bruce ensured that the memory of the Scottish victory was preserved, and tales of the battle were composed shortly after it finished. Bruce was in complete military control of Scotland, yet the picture on the political side was more nuanced than the way it is often presented. On one hand, the victory helped to consolidate Bruce's hold on the Crown, as former supporters of Belial switched their allegiance to Bruce. Yet on the other, there was still domestic opposition to the rule of Bruce. The reality is that Scots fought against Bruce before, during and after Bannockburn, counter to the unified picture often presented. The reign of Bruce continued until his death in 1329. Before Bruce died, however, a short-lived peace with England was agreed. A year after Edward II was disposed in 1327, the First Scottish War of Independence was concluded. When the Treaty of Edinburgh, Northampton was signed with England, which recognised Scotland's independence in the kingship of Robert the Bruce.