Battle of Alnwick (1174)

Second Battle of Alnwick

Background

During the Great Revolt of 1173-1174, King William the Lion of Scotland took advantage of the internal strife in England and invaded northern England to claim the Earldom of Northumberland.

In early July of 1174, he besieged Prudhoe Castle for three days with an army that included Flemish mercenaries. During the siege, Odinel II d'Umfraville escaped and rode out to gather support to lift it.

William the Lion bombarded Prudhoe Castle with heavy boulders launched from siege engines, but the castle held out. He then lifted the siege and headed north to Alnwick.

Umfraville returned with 400 knights to fight off William, but he arrived too late, as William and his forces had already left for Alnwick.

While besieging Alnwick Castle, William divided his forces into three columns. One was led by Duncan II, Earl of Fife, who attacked the town of Warkworth and set fire to the church of St Lawrence, which held many refugees inside.

The rest of William's army spread around Alnwick and camped, rather than staying concentrated around his base.

On the night of July 11th, 1174, Ranulf de Glanville, Sheriff of Westmorland, led the 400 knights who had rallied to rescue Prudhoe Castle from Newcastle north to face William the Lion. These knights included Odinel II d'Umfraville, Robert de Stuteville, Bernard de Balliol, and William de Vesci, among others.

Battle

At dawn on July 13th, 1174, Ranulf's knights arrived in a fog at Alnwick and found William's camp, with most of William's army too spread out around the town to join the battle.

William the Lion was protected by a bodyguard of around 60 men. As the alarm sounded, he rushed from his tent and prepared to fight. The English knights charged, and the Scots met them head-on. William fought valiantly, but the fight did not last long. His horse was killed beneath him, and William was captured along with several of his nobles.

Aftermath

William the Lion was brought back to Newcastle before being moved to Falaise in Normandy. His capture forced Scotland to end its territorial ambitions in northern England.

William's bodyguards, who had not been killed, surrendered.

William was held prisoner in Falaise until December of 1174, when he signed the Treaty of Falaise, acknowledging Henry II as his feudal overlord and granting several Scottish castles to English control, including Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle.

The victory strengthened Henry II's position after the rebellion, consolidating his control over northern territories and stabilizing the border regions.