The Battle of Flodden 1513

The Battle of Flodden in 1513 was the largest battle ever to take place between England and Scotland. James IV himself led an army of 30,000 men over the border into England, ostensibly in revenge for the murder of a Scotsman five years earlier, but in reality to assist their ally the French by diverting the forces of weapons and tactics (their officers were in the front line and they used bills against English pikes), while the English deployed more accurate artillery and their vaunted longbowmen. King James was killed within sight of the English commander, Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, while leading a charge against him; with their leader and many of their officers killed, the Scots were in disarray, and the English victory was decisive. Military historian John Sadler's account of the battle is the first for a decade, and is published to mark its 500th anniversary.