Gilbert, the son of Gilbert
the Red, was born in 1291. His mother was Joan, the daughter of
Edward
I.
His father died in 1295 and Gilbert inherited his father estates.
He also became the 10th Earl de Clare, the 8th Earl of Hertford and
the 9th Earl of Gloucester.
Gilbert was brought up
in the royal household with the king's own son Edward.
The two boys became close friends and after Edward became king, Gilbert
became one of his most important advisers.
At the age of seventeen,
Gilbert was fighting in Edward's army in Scotland. For the next three
years Gilbert stayed in Scotland trying to defeat Robert Bruce's army.
Bruce avoided pitched battles, relying instead on
guerrilla warfare. His tactics were successful and the English army
had to concentrate
on holding on to a few key towns and castles in Scotland.
Gilbert returned to England
in 1311. Edward II was pleased with
Gilbert's loyal service and he was given over £3,000 and granted
more land in England.
While Gilbert was away, the war in Scotland went very badly
for England. Robert Bruce took castle after castle and eventually
only Stirling was
left under English control.
In 1314 Bruce besieged
Stirling Castle. In an attempt to save Stirling the king decided to
march north with the largest army that had ever left England.
Bruce made no attempt to stop Edward's army from entering Scotland.
Bruce concluded that his best hope was to force the English to fight
on territory that best suited his limited resources. Bruce chose a
site only two and
a half miles south of Stirling, by a stream called Bannockburn.
The Scots took the high
ground so, if the English were to attack, they had to
advance on a narrow front between marshland and a thick wood.
The main English army arrived
on 24th June. Gilbert, who had brought 500 of his own knights with
him, advised the king to allow the men to rest for a day. Edward disagreed
and accused Gilbert of being afraid of the Scots. Gilbert was stung
by these comments and immediately ordered his men to attack. Gilbert
gallantly led the charge but his horse was cut down and while he was
on the ground he was killed by Scottish spearmen.
The English soldiers started
to turn and run. Others followed and soon the English army was in
retreat. Many of the English knights were able to escape, but those
without horses, such as spearmen and archers, suffered very heavy
casualties. The battle at Bannockburn was the worst defeat in English
history.
Robert Bruce respected
Gilbert de Clare's bravery and allowed his body to be returned to
his family. Gilbert, who was only 23 years old, was buried at Tewkesbury
Abbey. Gilbert did not have any children and so his death brought
an end to the male line of the Clare family The family estates were
now divided between Gilbert's three sisters. Eleanor, Margaret and
Elizabeth.
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