How many men did King Edward the 1st slaughter at Berwick upon Tweed?

Answer 1

Slaughter of Berwick, 13th century, South East Scotland.

Edward Plantagenet of Anjou, French speaking ruler of England of Norman descent, (aka King Edward I) had plenty experience in warfare and was greatly impressed by the crusades to the Holy Land and the stories that emitted from these religious wars.

Plantagenet noted that the Muslim encircling of small walled towns on the west coast of Palestine and bloody slaughter of the whole population had a terrorising impact on those nearby who were unaffiliated with them.

He decided to use the same tactic to the ordinary townsfolk of Berwick after the King of his neighbouring country: Scotland (Edward's brother in law) had died in an accident in 1286 (fall from his horse, much like William of Orange, only minus the moles).

Edward entered Berwick like an all conqueroring hero and demanded that the townsfolk greet him as their Lord Paramount. The townsfolk who were unused to ways of war and such things but were not devoid of a sense of humour, answered Edward by lifting their kilts and bearing their backsides to him.

This triggered wounded Edward's inflated sense of self importance and rage ensued, he ordered his soldiers (Welsh, Irish and Northern English conscripts) to take control of the town's walls and gates, lock the citizens of Berwick within and see to murdering every man, woman, child and even the clergy of the town (none were spared).

There were stories of human blood running in streams downs the streets of the south eastern sea-port who had a pretty large population prior to that due to the success of Berwick's export/import route to the European mainland.

You'll read of some 8000 men being slaughtered, decapitated and dismembered etc', but that was only the men, taking the sea-port's women, children and clergy into account the numbers of all sexes and age groups raped, robbed and exterminated range from 22,000 - 30,000.

And the details, horrific! People with limbs torn from their bodies and stuffed down wells etc', human torsos with limbs left protuding the orifices of women and men.

The Scots, as said, at the time were deep into generations of

of people used to going about their daily lives of farming, fishing etc',

people as said who were unused to wars and the ways of wars.

Of those that survived the cowardly genocidal frenzy that was on a par with Hitler's "Final Sollution" quickly got themselves readied and the anger and determination to make these foreigners pay for the liberty they'd taken with the civilian population of Berwick quickly found a place in concientious list of things to do from neighbouring civilians and all Scots in general.

Inspite of the Scots defeating English armies several times since the infamous English slaughter of civilian sea-port of Berwick, Scots felt the route of the Battle of Rosslyn in 1303 where an army of 8,000 Scots routed an English army consisting of some 30,000 experienced soldiers. Scots however done in Rosslyn what the English didn't at Berwick, they were given the order by Sir Simon de Frazor to give quarter to the English an order which they paig heid to resulting in only 27,000 English deaths instead of the 30,000 who thought it wise to invade.