Late Middle Ages · Europe · War

1318

Bruce takes Berwick from the English

April 1318

After two decades of sieges, Scotland's southern gateway fell to Robert Bruce by stealth and assault, Scottish soldiers scaling the walls at night with rope ladders. The capture humiliated Edward II and gave the Scots a base for raiding Northumberland. Berwick would change hands another dozen times before the century closed, but this capture felt decisive.