Which battle in 1314 secured Scottish independence from England?

The Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 secured a decisive Scottish victory over England and became the turning point of the First War of Scottish Independence. Robert the Bruce’s army defeated the forces of Edward II of England on 23–24 June 1314 near Stirling.

Edward II had invaded Scotland to relieve the English-held Stirling Castle, which was under siege by Bruce’s forces. The Scottish army used disciplined infantry formations known as schiltrons, whose close ranks and spears helped resist English cavalry. The difficult terrain around Bannockburn also restricted the movement of Edward’s much larger army.

The English defeat severely weakened their position in Scotland and strengthened Robert the Bruce’s claim to be Scotland’s legitimate king. Bannockburn did not immediately produce a formal legal settlement, however. Scottish independence was recognized de jure later, through the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton in 1328, after further warfare. Bannockburn is therefore best understood as the war’s decisive military turning point rather than the final diplomatic act.