Medieval Scottish legends, telling about heavy wars with the British in the XIII-XIV centuries, along with Robert the Bruce and Wallace often mention some "Blue Knights", "blue knights, invulnerable to the enemy. With their long swords and battle-axes, they split steel helmets with a single blow. Scotland supposedly owes its existence to these knights-swordsmen …
Until recently, it was believed that all these were ordinary medieval fairy tales, nothing more than the fruits of folklore. Nevertheless, a few years ago, the French historian Dr. Jerome Duval became interested in these legends. To begin with, he carefully analyzed all known folklore sources, where the exploits of the "blue knights" are mentioned, then he turned over all available English, Scottish, Irish and French documents of the 13th-14th centuries and came to the conclusion: you need to go to the scene.
First of all, it was necessary to be bound to the terrain, because in many legends the places of battles are clearly indicated, the names of castles and settlements, the names of kings and lords, the leaders of the Scottish clans and English commanders, ordinary knights and soldiers appear.
The castles themselves have not gone anywhere, they are still an indispensable attribute of the classic Scottish landscape. In addition, all references to the "blue knights" have a very specific time frame, and written sources, coupled with archaeological excavations, helped to recreate the picture.
So, February 1258 is on the calendar. English troops laid siege to Selkirk Castle, which was the seat of the Scottish kings at the time. Two thousand soldiers are ready to attack. And then something inexplicable happens. 100 knights on black horses gallop out of the forest and march on the enemy in a wide front. Their steel armor appears bluish in the winter sun, and a furious battle cry resounds across the valley. From unseen hitherto heavy barrels, the king's knights fire a volley, and steel cannonballs fall on the stunned English. Their ranks mix, panic arises. And then the "blue knights" fall on them, a bloody battle begins. Steel horseshoes of huge war horses trample the infantry, heavy three-meter spears with long serrated tips rip pieces from the bodies of enemies, and battle axes rotate in the air like the blades of helicopters,and each blow knocks the next enemy out of the saddle.
Everything was decided almost instantly: the British, despite all their numerical superiority, had no chance. Most importantly, their swords and arrows bounced off the Scots armor. But that's not all. When the British fled, the Scots drew their long swords. It was all over in an hour. Not a single English soldier left the battlefield …
Until recently, no one knew who they were, these fabulous "Blue Knights" of the Scottish kings of the 13th century. And the whole story was very much like a fairy tale.
In the summer of 1998, Jérôme Duval and his staff began excavations under the ruins of Selkirk Castle. What they managed to find caused a real sensation, for it proved irrefutably that the legendary “Blue Knights” really existed! Jérôme Duval says: The Blue Knights were a true elite strike force capable of opposing both knightly cavalry and the formidable English archers. They were the best of the best soldiers of the Scottish army, but most importantly, the king sacrificed his treasury so that they would receive the best weapons in the world."
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Archaeologists have found the remains of these weapons! Here's what it turned out: the armor and helmets were made of blue Damascus steel, unsurpassed in those days in quality. Duvall states: “This armor made the 'blue knights' virtually invulnerable to any weapon. They were thinner and lighter than English or French - an invaluable advantage in hand-to-hand combat!"
The armament of the "blue knights" was appropriate: specially forged heavy swords 1.2 meters long, three-meter spears, powerful battle axes. But most importantly, they even had barrel-spring crossbows!
Dr. Duvall says: “It may seem like a complete invention, but they had real artillery, their portable 'cannons' threw cannonballs up to 30 kg in weight! We recreated their design. And one more thing: the "blue knights" had stronger and more enduring horses, and this factor, coupled with their weapons, desperate courage and excellent offensive tactics, became the guarantee of their invincibility, one such fighter was worth 20 enemies!"
What else did you find out? The Scottish knights were a real fighting brotherhood. For example, they never left their wounded on the battlefield. Their motto: we will return from the battle, or all, or none! Duvall claims they had their own initiation ritual. Everyone who was accepted into the "blue knights" was given an oblique cross on the forehead with a dagger, and the initiate swore an oath on the weapon that henceforth his life entirely belonged to the detachment.
“Despite the severity of the combat situation, belonging to the“blue knights”had its pleasant sides,” Duvall believes, “it is not for nothing that legends claim that the most beautiful and noble girls in Scotland were awarded them…”.
But at the end of the 14th century, something happened. A cat ran between the king and the leader of the "Blue Knights", and some of them were secretly destroyed. We do not know how and why the detachment ceased to exist - legends and chronicles are silent. But there was, one must think, a very serious reason, because among the people they were not only revered, they were prayed for! It is possible that the king saw in this a direct threat to himself and to his throne. After that, the surviving knights left the country. They served as mercenaries on the continent or entered the crusading orders in Central Europe.
A. V. Borovskaya
