Editing Border reivers (section)

==Henry VIII, James IV, and the Battle of Flodden==
The 1503 marriage of Margaret Tudor to James IV, under the Treaty of Perpetual Peace, aimed to stabilise Anglo-Scottish relations. However, tensions persisted, with Henry VIII antagonising James by withholding Margaret's dowry and asserting English overlordship.<ref>Goodwin, George. ''Fatal Rivalry: Flodden 1513''. Phoenix (Orion Books Ltd), 2013., p135-138</ref>

=== The Murder of Robert Ker ===
Sometime between 1500 and 1511,<ref>Robson, Ralph. ''The English Highland Clans: Tudor Responses to a Mediaeval Problem''. Edinburgh: J. Donald Publishers, 1989., p75</ref><ref name="Fraser, George MacDonald 1995. p173">Fraser, George MacDonald. ''The Steel Bonnets: The Story of the Anglo-Scottish Border Reivers''. HarperCollins, 1995., p173</ref> John "the Bastard" Heron murdered Robert Ker of Cessford, Warden of the Middle March, during a March Day meeting—an extraordinary breach of protocol.,<ref name="Fraser, George MacDonald 1995. p173"/> The act sparked a violent feud, with reprisals including the murder of Heron's accomplice in York.<ref name="Fraser, George MacDonald 1995. p173"/> James IV viewed the unresolved killing as a major insult, referencing it in a letter to Henry VIII in August 1513—weeks before Flodden.<ref>Goodwin, George. ''Fatal Rivalry: Flodden 1513''. Phoenix (Orion Books Ltd), 2013., p87</ref>

=== The Ill Raid ===
A month before Flodden, Alexander, Lord Home, led a raid into England that ended in disaster, with 900 Scots killed or captured by Sir William Bulmer.<ref>Fraser, George MacDonald. ''The Steel Bonnets: The Story of the Anglo-Scottish Border Reivers''. HarperCollins, 1995., p215</ref> Days before the battle, Catherine of Aragon pardoned Heron for Ker's murder;<ref>Goodwin, George. ''Fatal Rivalry: Flodden 1513''. Phoenix (Orion Books Ltd), 2013., p172</ref> he would go on to help guide the English army and fight with a band of fifty outlaws.<ref name="Sadler, John 2006">Sadler, John (2006). Flodden 1513: Scotland's greatest defeat. Oxford: Osprey., p?</ref>

===The Battle of Flodden===
On 9 September 1513, James IV and the bulk of Scotland's nobility were killed at [[Battle of Flodden|Flodden]]. Losses included 21 earls, 14 lords, and as many as 8,000 men.<ref>Goodwin, George. ''Fatal Rivalry: Flodden 1513''. Phoenix (Orion Books Ltd), 2013., p208</ref>

At Flodden, Border troops fought on both sides. Dacre's English force included feuding contingents from Tynemouthshire and Bamburghshire, alongside Heron's outlaws.<ref name="Sadler, John 2006"/> On the Scottish right, Home's mixed force nearly broke the English line. When Lord Howard's flank faltered, Heron's men launched a decisive counterattack, saving the position.<ref>Goodwin, George. ''Fatal Rivalry: Flodden 1513''. Phoenix (Orion Books Ltd), 2013., p213</ref>

Home's later withdrawal—possibly due to Dacre's influence or his brother's captivity—critically weakened the Scots. His failed attempt to retake the Scottish guns ended the campaign.<ref name="Sadler, John 2006"/>

The battle also revealed the opportunism of Border society: while the armies clashed, men from Teviotdale and Tynedale looted the English baggage train. Some English Borderers were even accused of assisting the Scots and taking prisoners on both sides—allegations denied by Dacre.<ref>Durham, Keith. ''Border Reiver 1513–1603''. Osprey Publishing, 2011., p52</ref><ref>Robson, Ralph. The English Highland Clans: Tudor Responses to a Mediaeval Problem. Edinburgh: John Donald Publishers, p194-195</ref>

By the late evening of 9 September 1513, many of Scotland's leading men lay dead on English soil, their loss devastating the kingdom's leadership. Among the few surviving magnates were aforementioned [[Alexander Home, 3rd Lord Home|Home]]. The body of [[James IV of Scotland|King James IV]] was discovered on the battlefield and later sent south by [[Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre|Dacre]] as proof of the catastrophic defeat.<ref name="auto11"/><ref name="auto4">Goodwin, George. Fatal Rivalry: Flodden 1513—Henry VIII, James IV and the Battle for Renaissance Britain. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2013. {{ISBN|978-0-297-86739-5}}.</ref>