Flodden remembered

Memorial to the Scottish and English armies which met at the battle of Flodden 500 years ago Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

Commemorations will take place today to mark the 500th anniversary of one of the most significant battles in the region's history.

An estimated 14 thousand men died in just three hours when the Scottish and English armies met at the battle of Flodden in north Northumberland.

Ten facts about Flodden....

  • The battle was fought between England and Scotland on September 9th 1513 after King James IV of Scotland declared war on England while King Henry VIII was in France fighting King Louis XII.

  • The battle took place on Branxton Moor in Northumberland and for centuries was known as the Battle of Branxton. Only later was the name changed to the Battle of Flodden.

  • The English army was led by 70-year-old Thomas Howard, the Earl Of Surrey, a veteran of the Wars of the Roses.

  • James IV led a Scottish force of between 35 and 40 thousand troops, compared to the 26 thousand English soldiers.

  • In just 3 hours, approximately 14 thousand soldiers lay dead.

  • James IV was slain on the battlefield, the last reigning monarch to die in battle on British soil.

  • His great-grandson, James VI of Scotland would later become King James I of England.

  • The Battle of Flodden was Scotland’s worst ever military defeat with every noble family losing at least one member in the battle.

  • A large granite cross marks the site of the battle, inscribed with the words “ to the brave of both nations”.

  • Walter Scott wrote the poem “Marmion”, published in 1808 in recognition of the battle.