Customer Reviews

Flodden 1513: Scotland's greatest defeat (Campaign)

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I particularly liked the artwork in this Osprey work,the combat scenes are dramatic and realistic,not at all "cartoonish" as in some of these works.The Scots at Flodden decided to settle some issues with the English believing that Henry the eighth was overextended in his European campaigns. Apparently there were alot of border raids by both sides that seemed interminable and the Scots wanted to give the English a decisive defeat. The English however were to prove their power by defeating the Scots and at the same time fighting European powers on both land and sea.
This book has personality as well,the King of Scotland James the fourth comes off as a leader who literally led from the front.While some might see his bravery as wrecklessness one would have to admire his devotion to his cause.The quote,"nobly save or meanly lose" would apply here. The artwork reinforces this.At Flodden the Scots suffered more casualties than at all the previous Scottish vs. English campaigns combined.But for that "marshy dip",the English might well have been defeated by the pikes of the surging Scots.As it was the English bill triumphed.Great maps and displays of equipment.A great description of the battle without getting bogged down in the political causes of the conflict.

Flodden 1513, #168 in Osprey's Campaign series, is an excellent case study in the effects of friction in operational warfare. Author John Sadler has written an informative and insightful narrative of the campaign that provides both sufficient detail and sober analysis. While some medieval military history suffers from a poor sources, there is sufficient material available for the author to get at the key facts without having to guess (which afflicts coverage of over campaigns, like Bosworth). The author is also very even-handed in his coverage of both the English and Scottish viewpoints, although he is perhaps a bit too forgiving of the battlefield conduct of Scottish King James IV.

In the opening sections, the author lays out how the Scottish and French made joint plans to deal with expected aggression from England's King Henry VIII in the summer of 1513. Everybody expected the main blow to fall in an English invasion of France and the French asked for a Scottish army to raid across England's northern border as a diversion. Scotland's King James IV reasoned that few English forces would be left to guard the border and that he could accomplish two strategic objectives in this campaign - namely, aiding his French ally and reclaiming several border castles that had been lost in previous warfare. Unfortunately for the Scottish, they did not reckon on England being able to raise a second army to deal with the cross-border invasion. Author John Sadler effectively describes the opening stages of the campaign, in which the Scottish army of at least 40,000 troops captured several castles before the English army of about 26,000 arrived in the vicinity. At this point, the author notes that the campaigning season would be over in another week or two and the Scots had accomplished both strategic objectives - there was therefore no reason to seek battle. Yet James IV decided to occupy a superb defensive position and awaited the approaching English army, a decision which seems perplexing and not fully explained herein. The author does suggest the kingly pride - a desire to win a battle in order to enhance his regal reputation - lies at the root of James' decision to seek battle.

As the author describes, the English took one look at the strong Scottish position and decided to outflank it in a night march (reminds me a bit of Chancellorsville, actually). The Scottish, confident of their numbers and position, failed to put out much local security or even watch the English army and were surprised the next day when the enemy started approaching them from behind. Flodden thus went from a set-piece fight to a meeting engagement, with the Scottish army scrambling to turn around and close up on the approaching English. After a brief artillery exchange - that the Scots lost - James IV ordered his three main formations to attack downhill toward the now stationary English. Although the Scottish attack initially went well on their left, the center with the King ran afoul of a small streambed that broke all cohesion. The English gradually gained the upper hand and the late arrival of their reserves precipitated a disastrous Scottish rout, with King James dying in close combat. At Flodden, the largest army even fielded by Scotland, was utterly crushed. The volume has three 2-D Maps (the Scots invasion route; the English flank march; the field of Flodden), three 3-D Maps (the armies deploy for battle; rout of English left; defeat and rout of Scottish army) and three Battle scenes by Stephen Walsh (the Scottish left early in the battle; the death of James IV; dusk on 9 September 1513).

The author tends to be a bit too excusing for James IV's behavior, noting that, "he failed as a captain, but not as a knight," and saying that the King's early participation in the ground combat was good for Scottish morale. Certainly James IV died a `heroic death' that is the stuff of legends, but his gambler's behavior was not that of a head of state or the commander-in-chief of a major army. Since Caesar's time if not before, the primary duty of a commander on the battlefield is to properly employ the reserve at a critical time, not to unnecessarily join in hand-to-hand combat like a common soldier. While James' body was already getting cold on the field, his reserve that might have made a difference was wasted and this opened the door for the catastrophic rout that followed. Suffice to say, the evidence pretty well indicts James IV as a poor operational commander, which is not redeemed by futile battlefield heroics.

This volume is an interesting study in friction in warfare. First, the Scottish attack probably would have succeeded, were it not for the unanticipated stream obstacle. Second, the Scottish adoption from Pike tactics from the French potentially gave them a big tactical edge over the English, but due to a variety of minor factors, the pike tactics were a failure. Third, the late arrival of the final English contingent was worse for the Scots than if they had been on the field from the beginning. Indeed, the battlefield friction worked far more against the Scots than the English and stole victory from them. There was at least one other factor that seemed to work against the Scots, which was the lack of a balanced force. While the English army had a cavalry reserve, light troops, archers and mobile light artillery, the Scots seemed to have no significant cavalry or archer forces and their army was primarily a huge block of infantry. John Sadler's well-written account of this military catastrophe should provide lessons that are still relevant for modern military readers.

On 9 September 1513, Flodden field was the site for one of Scotland's most famous battles, often termed their "greatest defeat". The Scottish Army led by their courageous king, James IV, was strong in artillery and trained in new tactics from the Swiss doctrine, whereas the English Army they faced still favoured traditional tactics. Despite the strength of the Scots, the English men-at-arms fought ferociously. By nightfall, the field was strewn with the bodies of the Scottish nobility, and tre tragic figure of their king. This book examines the strategies of both armies and the significant effect of the weapons used, including the longbow and artillery.

John Sadler is an excellent author and Stephen Walsh a marvelous illustrator. I don't often buy the Osprey series of books but this one is just too good to pass up. Weither you are a student of Scottish or English history or just of military history this book is one to get.

Osprey Campaign 168, Flodden 1513 proves to be a well written and well researched book. Like all of Osprey Campaign books, this one got less then a hundred pages but the author uses those pages very nicely. The book gives a good background to the campaign, blow by blow of the battle and what happened afterward. For such a short book, it definitely summarized the entire incident very well. Illustrations proves to be useful and maps although not very clear, gave a good account of how the battle unfolded.

Considered as "Scotland's greatest defeat", Flodden Field appears to be one of the very few times Scotland had an advantages of numbers, equipments and supplies over their English foes. However, the author made it clear that the battle was sorely mismanaged by King James IV of Scotland who ended up choosing a battlefield unfit for his army who was using the new Swiss pike system tactical formations.

Overall, one of the better books from the Osprey Campaign series that covers the battle and the campaign very well.

_Flodden 1513_ follows the standard Osprey pattern of historical summary, battle narrative, and lush artwork. The summary of the political context leading to the battle is consise and astute, including mention of the Italian Wars that sparked the overall conflict and James IV's desire to legitimize his kingdom with a great field victory. The description of the battle includes the maneuvering of the two armies in the days beforehand, which had a decisive impact on the outcome, and the influence of the new Swiss pike tactics on the Scottish deployment and eventual failure.

However, the author occassionaly gets overly eager in his long lists of noblemen involved on both sides, his effusive descriptions of how he supposes the knights and the battlefield must have looked, and in his repeated use of exclamation points. In addition, the artwork in places looks amateurish, with oddly scrunched grimaces on the faces of several figures, a preposterously over-scaled greatsword seemingly seven feet long, and an over-the-shoulder scabbard that it would have been physically impossible to draw that sword from. With these flaws the book remains only another solid entry in Osprey's thorough offerings for the armchair historian.

This is certainly the worst Osprey I have ever had the misfortune to buy. I should have had a better look at it first! I like the period so much I grabbed it anyway. Wow! Just drivel! Inacurate, poorly illustrated, muddled writing and worst of all; lots of photos of the author's re-enactment gear, all of which is poor quality and much of which is of the wrong period! He even calls a badly made Churburge 13 breastplate (Late 14thC) a munitions breastplate. JUST DON'T!
*Since writing this review I have softened in my opinion of the actual text and I would add a couple of stars (but it wont seem to let me!). I was angry at spending my money on it at the time... My opinion of the dodgey "facimilies from the Authors collection" and other faults etc. have not changed though!