At the end of the 13th century , William Wallace led the Scots in battle against the invading English during the First War of Scottish Independence . He ’s hail as Scotland ’s National Hero , but fiction has run into the facts of his report . Many of the misconception about Wallace stem from Blind Harry ’s 15th - hundred poemThe Wallace , which in spell inspired Mel Gibson’sBraveheart(1995 ) . interpret on for the actual fact about the Scottish warrior ’s living .
1.Little is known about William Wallace’s life before Edward I’s invasion in 1296.
historic records of Wallace ’s other life history are sparse . His seal was found on the 1297Lübeck letter , which told German merchants that the Scots had regained ascendency of their port wine , and pay some denotation of his backcloth . The seal bears an image of a curtain call and arrow , suggesting Wallace may have been an Sagittarius before the Wars of Independence break out .
The seal also gives his father ’s name as Alan Wallace . Thanks to Harry ’s poem , it was antecedently thought his father was Sir Malcolm Wallace of Elderslie , Renfrewshire . This lead scholars to believe that William was born into nobility . However , the Alan Wallace who is listed on the 1296Ragman curlicue — documents recording Scottish property owner ' fealty to the English king — and was a cap renter in Ayrshireis now believedto be the probable candidate for his founder .
2.His first known act is killing the English High Sheriff of Lanark.
In May 1297 , Wallace led an uprising in Lanark and killed William de Heselrig , the Sheriff of Lanark . Harry’sThe Wallaceclaims the rebellionwas triggered by the Sheriff off Wallace ’s married woman , Marion Braidfute ( she ’s renamed Murron MacClannough inBraveheart ) . However , whether or not Wallace ever had a wifeis unknown . Whatisknown is that he then aim part in other revolts against the English government activity .
3.William Wallace’s iconic reputation was forged at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
On September 11 , 1297 , Wallace and Andrew Moray co - led the Scottisharmy to victory . The Scots were outnumber , but Wallace and Moray squeeze the English to bilk Stirling Bridge . Funneling them across the bridge meant the invading troops could not use their number to their vantage . The Scots slaughtered the advancing infantry . According to several account , the bridge collapsed beneath the English soldiers in the chaos .
Both Wallace and Moray were then given the titleGuardian of Scotland ; Moray soon died from injuries sustained on the battlefield , leaving Wallace , who was afterwards knight , as sole Guardian . Wallace used this position of command to rule Scotland and get up for further battles against the English .
4.His failure at the Battle of Falkirk ended his time in the military spotlight.
Edward I launched another invasion into Scotland in 1298 . Wallace may have been undertake toavoid open combatuntil he had starved the English US Army of supplies to weaken them . But someone leaked the localization of the Scottish army — whether this was intentional or traitorous is unknown — and Wallace make to do battle at Falkirk on July 22 , 1298 .
Wallace pose the cavalry at the rear and formed his groundwork soldiers into round schiltrons ( defensive group with shield and pikes ) , which were protected by archers . But the cavalry flee , leaving the schiltrons and archers vulnerable .
The Scots suffered big expiration . Wallace get away , and later on that class resigned as Guardian . He yield the claim toRobert the Bruce , the future magnate , and John Comyn , King John Balliol ’s nephew ( who Robert the Bruceeventually murdered ) .
5.After Falkirk, William Wallace went to France to seek aid from King Philip IV.
There is slight historical record of Wallace ’s actions after Falkirk , but at some period he went to France , hoping to profit from theAuld Alliancewith King Philip IV.A letterdated November 7 , 1300 , from Philip to his envoys in Rome suggests he was willing to avail : “ We command you to quest the Supreme Pontiff to look at with favour our darling William le Walois [ Wallace ] of Scotland . ”
It ’s unknown whether Wallace made it to Rome to forgather with Pope Boniface VIII . Either way , helper from abroad did not materialize . By 1303 , he was back in Scotland fighting for independency .
6.He was gruesomely hanged, drawn, and quartered in 1305.
In August 1305 , a Scottish knight bring up John de Menteith captured Wallace and handed him over to the English to betried and executed for treason . Sir Walter Scott ’s 1828 “ Sir William Wallace , ” from hisTales of a Grandfatherseries , account that Wallace adjudge “ I could not be a double-dealer to Edward , for I was never his subject”—but , while certainly powerful , this bold statement was a fabricated embellishment .
On August 23,Wallace was draggedto the gallows through the streets of London on a hurdle drawn by horses . He was hanged and strangled — but taken down while still alive . He was then demasculinize and disemboweled , and his removed body parts were burned before him . Finally , he was beheaded and his body was cut into four parts . Wallace ’s head was dipped in tar and stuck on a freeway on London Bridge as a monition to other outlaws . His tree branch were post to Newcastle , Berwick , Stirling , and Perth .
7.William Wallace’s legendary status was solidified by Blind Harry.
Wallace ’s current report has been partly build upon romanticise myth passing as historical fact . Although he had already become fabled , Harry ’s 15th - centuryfictional poemleft the prominent mark on popular conceptions of Wallace . In summation to Harry and Scott ’s taradiddle , Wallace ’s position was further enhance byRobert Burns ’s song " Scots Wha Hae " ( 1793 ) and Jane Porter ’s novelThe Scots Chiefs(1810 ) .
Nowadays , the most well - known account is the filmBraveheart , which was loosely base on Harry ’s verse form . The title was historically consort not with Wallace , but with Robert the Bruce . During a battle , Sir James Douglas , tasked with film Robert ’s nerve on a hitch of the Holy Land , supposedly shouted : “ Lead on brave heart , I ’ll be thee . ”
8.The National Wallace Monument was erected in 1869 to celebrate Scotland’s National Hero.
The Wallace Monument is a prudish mediaeval - dash tugboat that abide 220 feet tall and sit down atop Abbey Craig , overlooking the site of Wallace ’s triumph at Stirling Bridge . There are246 stepsup to the viewing platform at the top , and the body of the tower house three exhibition rooms .
The Monument is home toThe Wallace Sword , a 5 - metrical foot , 5 - in - foresightful weapon Wallace purportedly used . It ’s possible that part of thesword ’s bladedates to the thirteenth century , but there ’s no evidence Wallace really handle it .
In 1997 , a statue of Wallace carved in the image of Mel Gibson was display near the tower . Described asone of “ the most loathed pieces of public art in Scotland , ” it was occasionally vandalized before its removal in 2008 . It now resides atGlebe Parkfootball stadium in Brechin .
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