Key Facts
- Year
- 1356 (January–February)
- Devastation width
- 50–60 miles (80–100 km)
- Key town captured by Scots
- Berwick-on-Tweed, December 1355
- English army disbanded
- Late February 1356, at Carlisle
- Peace agreement
- 1357, largely on English terms
Strategic Narrative Overview
Edward III's army retook Berwick and advanced into southern Scotland, burning a swath 50–60 miles wide toward Edinburgh, which was torched. Resupplied by sea at Haddington, Edward planned to push on to Perth, but contrary winds prevented fleet support. While waiting, English forces devastated Lothian so thoroughly the episode was named Burnt Candlemas. A winter storm scattered the English fleet, forcing withdrawal via Melrose under Scottish harassment.
01 / The Origins
Border tensions between England and Scotland escalated through 1355. A nine-month truce was agreed in September, but the Scots, encouraged and subsidised by France as part of the concurrent Hundred Years' War, broke it days later. Scottish forces invaded Northumberland and in late December 1355 captured the strategically vital border town of Berwick-on-Tweed, prompting England to redeploy its army from northern France to Newcastle.
03 / The Outcome
The English army disbanded at Carlisle in late February 1356 having failed its strategic objectives. Scottish forces subsequently captured two English-held castles. A truce was re-established in April 1356, and in 1357 a permanent peace was concluded largely on English terms, ending the Second War of Scottish Independence. The campaign demonstrated the limits of English power projection without reliable naval supply.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
King Edward III.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.