They have been romantically remembered by history as heroic paragons of virtue who would fight with fairness and offer a helping hand to a downed foe.

But now a new look at the conduct of the Scottish knights of Robert the Bruce’s time has found that they were far more likely to stab their enemies when they weren’t looking – and run away when danger threatened.

In poems and songs read by elites of 14th and 15th centuries, it appears that King Robert made a virtue of fighting dirty, and those who took up arms in his wars with England were encouraged to do the same.

This is in contrast to the chivalric code of continental Europe, which called on knights to win renown through their honorable acts and mercy on the battlefield.

Historian Dr Callum Watson has examined sources of literature set down around of the Wars of Independence, or written shortly after as a manual for others.

Dr Watson, who will deliver a talk for History Scotland on the topic tonight found distinct differences between the qualities of the ‘ideal’ knight in Scotland than those found elsewhere.

The Herald:

Looking at 'The Bruce’, a long narrative poem written by John Barbour, Archdeacon of Aberdeen, in the 1370s, Dr Watson said the message on how a Scottish knight should fight was clear.

Dr Watson said: "In ‘The Bruce’, Barbour actually defines ‘worschip’ (worthiness) as being the ability to assess a situation, work out what needs to be done in order to achieve your goals, and not being afraid to run away if that means fighting in a more advantageous position later on.

“He makes Robert Bruce and his lieutenant James Douglas  - whose son Archibald ‘the Grim’ and nephew William, 1st earl of Douglas, would have been among the first readers of ‘The Bruce’ - the epitome of this principle. 

“Barbour always makes sure to detail the tactical considerations Bruce and Douglas undertake before engaging in a battle. He even boasts at one point that Douglas was lost in 13 skirmishes with the English but won a further 57, as a way of demonstrating to his audience that it is acceptable to flee if it means you can fight and win later.” 

Further evidence can be found in Walter Bower’s Scotichronicon, written in the 1440s as a kind of manual on proper behavior for James II, who was only a teenager at the time. 

This text contains fragments of a verse chronicle written during Bruce’s lifetime which were possibly commissioned by the King himself, showing how he cultivated the art of avoiding a square go in a pitched battle.  

The Herald:

Dr Watson, who is also the author of the ‘Knight of the Two LL’s' blog, said: “This includes a poetic defence of Bruce’s guerrilla tactics, where his reliance on only fighting the English in woods, or wetlands, or ‘narrow places’, and his use of a scorched-earth policy to make it harder for the English to campaign in Scotland, is again elevated to a virtuous and noble fight, rather than a grim and gritty struggle.  

“We know that Bruce was an avid reader and cultivated a literary culture at his court, so it would appear that within his own lifetime he used chivalric literature as a way to sanitise and promote his style of fighting.” 

The academic added: “As an example of what could happen to Scottish knights who did not live up to this image, Douglas’s half-brother Archibald Douglas, lord of Liddesdale, led the Scots to defeat at the Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333 by attacking the English head-on when the English were in a much stronger position.  

“Not only was he killed in the ensuing fighting, Archibald was remembered by subsequent Scottish chroniclers as Archibald ‘the Tyneman’, which means Archibald ‘the Loser’. 

However, it is likely that Bruce’s style of warfare was driven by necessity. Vastly outnumbered by England and outgunned on the battlefield, the Scots only choice was to fight unconventionally.  

The decisive battle of Bannockburn is one example of this – where the Scottish army used the terrain and defensive tactics to overcome a superior mounted force to win a famous victory.  

Dr Watson said: “The Scots had to rely on unconventional tactics if they are going to win. Even the most famous Scottish victory at Bannockburn in 1314 was achieved by Bruce using unconventional tactics to force the English into fighting on his terms, not theirs.  

“It is only natural really that when they came to write histories of the period, the Scots chose to present the characteristics that were required to make this strategy work as being noble and heroic.  

“And the already established language of chivalric literature provided a useful framework for Scottish writers to do this.” 

Dr Watson’s History Scotland talk takes place online at 06:30 PM.