What is Henry de Bohun?
[[File:A Chronicle of England - Page 283 - Bruce Kills Sir Henry Bohun.jpg|thumb|right|220px|{{center|[[Robert I of Scotland|Robert the Bruce]] defeats de Bohun in single combat}}]] '''Sir Henry de Bohun''' (died 23 June 1314) was an English [[knight]], the nephew of [[Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford|Humphrey de Bohun]], [[Earl of Hereford]]. He was killed on the first day of the [[Battle of Bannockburn]] by King [[Robert I of Scotland|Robert the Bruce]].<ref>''Scalacronica; The Reigns of Edward I, Edward II and Edward III as recorded by Sir Thomas Gray'', trans. Herbert Maxwell (Glasgow: James Maclehose & Sons, 1907), p. 53</ref> Riding in the [[vanguard]] of heavy [[cavalry]], de Bohun caught sight of the Scottish king who was mounted on a small [[palfrey]] ''(ane gay palfray Li till and joly)'' armed only with a [[battle-axe]].<ref> Ronald McNair Scott, ''Robert the Bruce, King of Scots'' (New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1999), p. 152</ref> De Bohun lowered his lance and charged, but Bruce stood his ground. At the last moment Bruce manoeuvred his mount nimbly to one side, stood up in his stirrups and hit de Bohun so hard with his axe that he split his helmet and head in two.<ref>Alan Young; Michael Stead, ''In the Footsteps of Robert Bruce'' (Stroud: Sutton Publishing Limited, 1999), p. 130</ref> Despite the great risk the King had taken, he merely expressed regret that he had broken the shaft of his favorite axe.<ref>Hyland, Ann. ''The Warhorse 1250-1600'', UK: Sutton Publishing, 1998, p 38</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:1314 deaths]] [[Category:English knights]] {{bio-stub}}