Where was Robert the Bruces greatest victory?

Answer 1

Glen Trool in 1307 where with a force of only a few hundred infantry he routed a much larger carvery force of 1200 men. It was his first major victory and attracted many more men to his cause as well as serving to drive the English out of Galloway securing his first foothold in Scotland.

A second suggestion would be the Battle of Loudon hill again in the year 1307, instead of like at Dunbar where the Scots had roundly been deafeated he did NT choose to Fight the Engish at there own game of pitched battles (his greatest skill according to Ewan Innes a Scottish historian) and when he did he choose where he fought and not just that he also adapted the terrain to make it more favourable by digging trenches that impeded the English caverly.

At both these occassiosn he fough Amyer de Valance who clearly was his equal as far as military skills were concerned having defeated him at Methven in 1306.

Although his most well remembered victory is The Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. It is not the case, At Bannockburn he fought a slightly larger English force that was untrained and tired after a march from Berwick.

The battle was won by English incompetence and not Bruce's military prowess, indeed the only English move that day was to charge head on the Scots pikemen.

Unlike at Falkirk were the English cavalry was used to isolate the Shiltrons by taking out the Scots archers and caverly then weakening the shiltrons with archers allowing the caverly and the English infantry to finish them off.

The failure to use his force to the best of his ability shows that Edward II was a poor king and nothing like his father. Indeed many Scots celebrated when Edward I died as it was common knowlegde that his son was a weak man.

The historian G.Bell says that "[Edward II] was not a particually intelligent or interested man" frequently allowing favourite such a Peirs Graveston to rule in his name.

So Bannockburn although being a victory was not his greatest victory as he was up against a poorly commanded and worn out enemy. He also failed to capture Edward II and securue a quick end to the war he was allowed to escape and the war raged for another 14year prventing Bruce from securing his Kingdom allowing Edward Balliols invasion of Scotland in 1332.