Field of Bannockburn 08
Statue of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, armoured for battle (the Bruce was considered one of the finest knights in all of Christendom, even by his enemies - some knights joined the English army for the chance to contest against him in chivalric combat). 

You can see an axe in his right hand - before the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 a small scouting party of English knights spotted the king reconnoitering the field and thinking they had a chance to win glory by attacking him before the battle even started, one charged him. With his larger heavy cavalry horse and equipment he should have had the advantage, but the Bruce simply made his smaller mount sidestep the charge, rose up in his stirrups and brought down his axe with such force it broke - you can imagine what it did to the English knight. One moment dreams of glorious knightly combat, the next moment an axe in the head, the chivalric dream meets the bloody horrible truth of medieval combat... 

You can only imagine the effect this must have had on the small, outnumbered Scottish army, they must have thought they couldn't lose following such a man, and indeed a famous victory against the odds was won, such a victory that the larger force was driven to flee, the English king even abandoning his monks brought along as scribes to record his victory (Bruce had them instead record his) and even his royal seal (Bruce returned it to him as an offering, it wasn't appreciated). The stunning victory has reverberated through our history ever since, securing Scottish independence and changing the course of history in the British Isles.
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