Battle axe in its mighty head..." - "A Child's History of England" by Charles Dickens. Richard is, however, recorded as using a Danish Axe at the relief of Jaffa. Geoffrey de Lusignan is another famous crusader associated with the axe. Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, used an axe to defeat Henry de Bohun in single combat at the start of the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Given that Bruce was wielding the axe on horseback, it is likely that it was a one handed horseman's axe. They enjoyed a sustained revival among heavily armored equestrian combatants in the 15th century. In
Battle of Halidon Hill ultimate victor. The Treaty of Northampton in 1328 brought an end to over thirty years of intermittent warfare following the defeat of Edward II by Robert Bruce. Bruce's own death the following year opened up an opportunity for the disinherited, Balliol and the English to invade Scotland once more. In 1332 under the leadership of Edward Balliol, son of King John Balliol, and Henry Beaumont, 4th Earl of Buchan, these men invaded Scotland with the full support of Edward III, defeating the Bruce loyalists at the Battle of Dupplin Moor. Building on this success Balliol was crowned King of Scotland.