1513 and all that

The current kerfuffle over when the Scots get to vote on whether to regain their independence has tended to focus on timing. If the SNP's wily Alex Salmond has way, the vote will be held in the autumn of 2014. This will be just after the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, when a numerically inferior army under Robert the Bruce trounced an invading force under Edward II. The SNP might benefit from an upsurge in national sentiment.

There is, however, another battle anniversary coming up. Next year sees the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Flodden, or Flodden Field, or Branxton Moor if you like. Whatever you call it, 9th September 1513 was a bad day for Scotland:

The advance of the close-order pike formations of the Scots faltered in the heavy, cloying mud of the marshland and, as the ranks pressed in from behind, footing was lost and their formations fell apart. At this point, the English weighed in with their billhooks, thrusting, cutting and hacking at the Scottish lines. The Scots' pikes were totally unsuited for this type of combat. It is thought that King James died on the field only yards from this point. His army's fate was finally sealed when Stanley's archers arrived through Crookham Dene and launched a flanking attack which prevented their escape. The day belonged to Surrey and England.

So, next year the Northumberland tourist trade might get a bit of a boost, and blokes who like to dress up as late mediaeval warriors will be out in force up the road from my current location. We can also be sure of a crop of books and there's bound to be something on the telly about it.

But will Flodden's anniversary also cause bitter tears to be wept into pints north of the Border? Will Caledonian hearts beat more proudly at the thought that, had Flodden gone the other way, Scotland might never have fallen under England's long shadow?

Hard to say whether memories of a cataclysmic defeat will lead to stronger nationalist sentiment. But it might. Perhaps this is why David 'Ironic Surname' Cameron would like a referendum to take place before all this historical stuff kicks off.