William Wallace

"William Wallace was born around 1270 in Elderslie, Renfrewshire, Scotland. He was the second of three sons of Alan Wallace, a minor landowner and crown tenant. His mother was Sara Alice Garlick, who may have been related to the High Steward of Scotland. William grew up in a turbulent time, as King Alexander III of Scotland died in 1286 without a direct heir, leaving his three-year-old granddaughter Margaret as his successor. However, Margaret died on her way to Scotland from Norway in 1290, leaving the throne vacant. The Scottish nobles asked King Edward I of England to arbitrate among the claimants to the Scottish crown. Edward agreed, but on the condition that he would be recognized as the feudal lord of Scotland. The Scots reluctantly accepted, but Edward exploited his position to interfere in Scottish affairs and demand homage from the Scottish nobles. He also appointed John de Balliol as the puppet king of Scotland in 1292. In 1296, Edward invaded Scotland and sacked Berwick, massacring its inhabitants. He also captured King John and took him to London as a prisoner. He then proceeded to occupy most of Scotland and confiscate its wealth and records. He also demanded that all the Scottish nobles and clergy swear allegiance to him by signing the Ragman Roll. William Wallace refused to submit to Edward’s authority and began a resistance movement against the English occupation. He killed William de Heselrig, the English sheriff of Lanark, in May 1297, avenging the death of his wife Marion Braidfute (according to some sources). He then joined forces with Andrew Moray, another rebel leader, and together they raised an army of commoners and small landowners. On September 11, 1297, Wallace and Moray defeated a much larger English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, using clever tactics and terrain advantage. They then invaded northern England and raided several counties, spreading terror and destruction. Wallace was knighted by Robert the Bruce (the future king of Scotland) and appointed as the Guardian of Scotland in the name of King John. However, Wallace’s success was short-lived, as Edward returned from France with a huge army and confronted him at the Battle of Falkirk on July 22, 1298. The English army had superior numbers, weapons, and cavalry, and they crushed the Scots with heavy losses. Wallace escaped from the battlefield but resigned as Guardian soon after. Wallace continued to fight as a guerrilla leader for several years, eluding capture by the English. He also traveled to France and Norway to seek support from King Philip IV and King Eric II respectively. He returned to Scotland in 1303 and resumed his struggle against Edward. In August 1305, Wallace was betrayed by Sir John de Menteith, a Scottish nobleman loyal to Edward. He was captured near Glasgow and taken to London. He was tried for treason at Westminster Hall on August 23, 1305. He denied being a traitor, as he had never sworn allegiance to Edward. He was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered, a brutal form of execution reserved for traitors. Wallace was stripped naked and dragged through the streets by a horse to Smithfield. He was hanged by the neck but cut down while still alive. He was then disemboweled and castrated, and his entrails were burned before his eyes. He was then beheaded and his body chopped into four pieces. His head was dipped in tar and displayed on a pike on London Bridge. His limbs were sent to Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling, and Perth, as a warning to the Scots. Wallace’s death did not end the Scottish resistance, as Robert the Bruce took up the mantle of leadership and eventually secured Scotland’s independence by defeating Edward II (Edward I’s son) at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Wallace became a martyr and a hero for the Scottish people, and a symbol of freedom and resistance against tyranny. He was also immortalized in poems, songs, novels, and films, most notably in the 1995 movie Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson."