Flodden 1513: re-examining British warfare at the end of the Middle Ages

Most recent accounts of the battle of Flodden, fought between English and Scottish forces on 9 September 1513 and which resulted in an English victory and the death of the Scottish king James IV, had stressed the novelty of Scottish tactics. This essay re-examines the structure, tactics and command of both armies and their application during the Flodden command. It suggests that it was the English under the leadership of Thomas Howard, earl of Surrey, who were the more 'modern' of the two forces, both in terms of their weaponry and military structures, but also in the extent to which their commanders embraced new 'Renaissance' notions of command and military service.