Qualla: Siege of Carlisle (1315) https://qualla.com/siege-of-carlisle-1315 en-us © 2026 Bendyline Wed, 08 Jul 2026 02:40:16 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/v/b/siege-of-carlisle-1315-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Siege of Carlisle (1315) https://qualla.com/siege-of-carlisle-1315 Siege of Carlisle (1315): Introduction https://qualla.com/siege-of-carlisle-1315/ Photo credit Neil Boothman from Carlisle, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0. Robert the Bruce had broken an English army at Bannockburn the year before, and the kingdom of Scotland was finally his. Carlisle should have been the next prize. It was the western anchor of the English border, a stone fortress on a hill where a Roman fort had stood since 72 CE, the keystone of an entire defensive line. On 22 July 1315 Bruce arrived outside its walls with his army, his confidence, and an assortment of siege equipment he barely knew how to use. Eleven days later he left, beaten not by the garrison but by Cumbrian weather and his own lack of siegecraft.

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Image: Neil Boothman from Carlisle, United Kingdom | CC BY 2.0

]]> Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/v/b/siege-of-carlisle-1315-wp/gcvb-siege-of-carlisle-1315-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Siege of Carlisle (1315): A King Without a Siege Train https://qualla.com/siege-of-carlisle-1315/ Photo credit Francis Grose, Public domain. Bruce was a master of ambush and night raid. His preferred method of taking a castle was sending a small party over the wall in the dark with daggers. Bannockburn had been a set-piece victory of brutal, disciplined infantry, but neither his men nor his engineers had much experien...

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Image: Francis Grose | Public domain

]]> Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/v/b/siege-of-carlisle-1315-wp/gcvb-siege-of-carlisle-1315-a-king-without-a-siege-train.mp3 0:06 2 full Siege of Carlisle (1315): Eleven Days in the Rain https://qualla.com/siege-of-carlisle-1315/ Photo credit Neil Boothman from Carlisle, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0. Bruce began by burning Carlisle's suburbs and trampling its crops, a standard medieval prologue. Then he tried the gates. The first assault was thrown back with heavy Scottish losses. So he built a catapult, which proved unable to do much damage to the thick stone walls. He built...

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Image: Neil Boothman from Carlisle, United Kingdom | CC BY 2.0

]]> Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/v/b/siege-of-carlisle-1315-wp/gcvb-siege-of-carlisle-1315-eleven-days-in-the-rain.mp3 0:06 3 full Siege of Carlisle (1315): James Douglas Goes Over the Wall https://qualla.com/siege-of-carlisle-1315/ Photo credit Neil Boothman from Carlisle, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0. For his final attempt Bruce borrowed the playbook that had taken Edinburgh Castle the previous year, when Thomas Randolph had scaled the rock at night with a handful of men. He launched diversionary attacks on the front of the city while James Douglas, his most feared lieutenant,...

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Image: Neil Boothman from Carlisle, United Kingdom | CC BY 2.0

]]> Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/v/b/siege-of-carlisle-1315-wp/gcvb-siege-of-carlisle-1315-james-douglas-goes-over-the-wall.mp3 0:06 4 full Siege of Carlisle (1315): The Rise and Fall of Andrew Harclay https://qualla.com/siege-of-carlisle-1315/ Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. King Edward II showered the victorious commander with rewards. Harclay received a thousand marks, the town received a royal charter, his post as Sheriff of Cumberland was confirmed, and in 1322 he was created the first Earl of Carlisle. At the Battle of Boroughbridge that same ye...

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Image: Unknown author | Public domain

]]> Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/v/b/siege-of-carlisle-1315-wp/gcvb-siege-of-carlisle-1315-the-rise-and-fall-of-andrew-harclay.mp3 0:06 5 full