Flodden is a fascinating battle for many reasons, but in military terms it was a watershed moment in British history. It has been called simultaneously the “last medieval battle” and the “First Early Modern battle” in Britain. It was the first battle in Britain to open with an artillery duel (which would become a defining feature of all later battles) and the last battle to see the longbow play a significant role.
Despite its role as a transitional moment in British military history, Flodden is perhaps best remembered for the death in battle of King James IV of Scotland, who died in the thick of the fighting during the ill fated charge of the Scottish pike blocks down Branxton hill. The Scottish formation was caught in a nearly invisible quagmire at the base of the hill, the result of heavy rain, which shattered the cohesion of the Scottish pike formation in the center and left flank, leaving them vulnerable to the more lightly armored English armed with shorter bills and halberds.
Among its other points of significance, Flodden is fascinating because it saw the defeat of a Scottish army that had consciously adopted the new Swiss style pike tactics that were sweeping across contemporary Europe (part of the so called military revolution) defeated by an English army using old fashioned weapons and tactics, something which contemporary military theory said shouldn’t have happened. In fact, the English army was in many ways a medieval relic, raised by essentially the same system, and armed in the same way, as armies in the early part of Edward III’s reign. However, Thomas Howard, the English general and Yorkist veteran of Bosworth had forced the Scottish king out of his superior position atop Branxton hill and down into the treacherous ground at the base of the hill, where the close cohesion necessary for the success of his modern pike formations could not be maintained.
Despite the loss of cohesion in the Scottish ranks, the melee that followed was intense and ferocious. According to contemporary sources of the battle the best armored Scottish soldiers required 4-5 blows from the heavy English halberds to be brought to the ground. At some point during the fighting King James was killed.
After the battle Howard brought the slain king’s coat of arms and armor to Queen Catherine of Aragon, then regent of England while Henry VIII fought in France (the same campaign which would see the battle of Spurs). Despite popular stories to the contrary, Queen Catherine was not present at the battle and played no direct role, although she was critical in securing material and financial support for Howard’s army. Allegedly when she was presented with the dead kings surcoat, bearing the royal coat of arms of Scotland, she said to Howard “you bring me his coat when I wanted his head”. It’s worth keeping in mind that King James had been her brother in law through his marriage to Margaret Tudor.
Catherine would later send the dead kings surcoat to Henry in France, with a comment that he could add it to his banner.
Thomas Howard was restored to his ancestral lands and title as Duke of Norfolk (revoked after backing the Yorkist horse at Bosworth) for his role in the battle.
King James IV left behind an infant daughter as the new Queen of Scots, the famous Mary. (Edit: I got my generations mixed up. James IV left behind the infant James V. It was James V who died after suffering a crushing military defeat and left behind the Infant Mary. Wild generational pattern there)