Battle of Otterburn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Otterburn
Part of Anglo-Scottish border conflicts
Date 5 August or 19 August 1388 Location 1 mile northwest of Otterburn, Northumberland Result Scottish victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Scotland	Kingdom of England
Commanders and leaders
James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas  †	Henry "Hotspur" Percy (POW)
Strength
Up to 6,000	Up to 8,000
Casualties and losses
As low as 200	Up to 1,800 killed. More wounded, and captured

Pennon of James Douglas, Earl of Douglas.

Captured Pennon of Hotspur

The Battle of Otterburn was a famous fight between the Scots and English. It happened in 1388, though the exact date is debated. Some say August 5th, others August 19th. This battle was part of many small fights along the border between Scotland and England.

The best story about the battle comes from a writer named Jean Froissart. He wrote Chronicles and said he talked to soldiers from both sides. However, some details in his book, like distances, are not quite right.

Before the battle, a Scottish leader named James, 2nd Earl of Douglas decided to lead a raid into England. This was a common thing, as both sides often raided each other's lands. Douglas wanted to take advantage of some disagreements among the English leaders.

The Battle Begins

The Scottish army split into two groups. The main group, with their supplies, headed towards Carlisle. Meanwhile, a smaller group led by Earl Douglas attacked towns like Durham and Newcastle.

The English leader, Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, sent his sons, Harry Hotspur and Sir Ralph Percy, to stop the Scots. Percy himself stayed at Alnwick to block the Scots' escape route.

First Clashes

Froissart's story says that Earl Douglas and Henry Percy fought each other directly. During this fight, Percy's special flag, called a pennon, was captured by Douglas. After this, Douglas's men destroyed a castle at Ponteland. They then started to surround Otterburn Castle.

Henry Percy, known as Hotspur, launched a surprise attack on Douglas's camp late in the afternoon. His tired soldiers had ridden quickly from Newcastle. They first met Douglas's servants, which gave the main Scottish army time to get ready. The Scots then attacked the English from the side.

Key Moments in the Fight

Earl Douglas led the left side of the Scottish army. John Dunbar, Earl of Moray led the right side. Hotspur's men were tired and not well organized. Hotspur was very confident and attacked the Scots even before all his soldiers had arrived.

The battle happened on a moonlit night. During the fight, Earl Douglas was killed. But his death was not noticed right away and did not change the battle's outcome. Both Henry Percy and his brother, Sir Ralph Percy, were captured. Sir John Montgomery captured Henry Percy. The remaining English soldiers then went back to Newcastle.

Who Won?

Even though Percy's army was much larger than the Scots, the Scots won. Froissart wrote that 1,040 English soldiers were captured and 1,860 were killed. Only about 200 Scots were captured and 100 were killed. Another old record, The Westminster Chronicle, says about 500 Scots died.

Later, the Bishop of Durham came with 10,000 English soldiers. But when he saw how well-organized the Scottish army looked and heard their loud horns, he decided not to attack.

Many people think Hotspur's quick temper and his army's tiredness caused the English defeat. But the reasons might be more complicated.

Aftermath of the Battle

This big Scottish victory kept the two sides from fighting for a while. The Battle of Otterburn became so famous that many songs, called ballads, were written about it. Two well-known ones are The Battle of Otterburn and The Ballad of Chevy Chase. The Chevy Chase ballad mixes up some of the history, but it's still a very old and famous song.

Families in the Battle

Many Scottish families from the Lowlands fought in this battle. Some of these included the Halls, Swintons, Johnstones, Grahams, Gordons, Lindsays, Leslies, Herons, and Montgomerys.