Battle of Halidon Hill

On 19 July 1333, a Scottish army led by Sir Archibald Douglas engaged an English army under the leadership of King Edward III of England (reigned 1327–1377) and was decisively defeated at the Battle of Halidon Hill. The previous year, Edward Balliol had secretly usurped the Scottish Crown from five-year-old David II (r. 1329-1371), with the help of Edward III. This was the beginning of the Second War of Scottish Independence. Balliol was quickly driven out of Scotland by a popular rebellion, which Edward III exploited as a pretext for invading Scotland in 1333. The immediate aim was Berwick-upon-Tweed, a strategically significant border town that the English besieged in March.