Narration & Art: Becca Segovia
Writing, Editing & Music Direction: Andre Segovia
Timestamps:
0:00 Before the Legend
3:22 England takes Scotland
5:55 Longshanks Invades England
6:55 Wallace Rebels
8:32 Battle of Stirling
9:55 Guardians of Scotland
10:52 England Strikes Back
11:31 The Loss at Falkirk
12:55 Wallace is Captured
13:45 Execution & Legacy
14:34 What did William Wallace look like?
16:44 Re-creations revealed
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The reputation of Sir William Wallace looms large in Scotland, and after the 1995 film “Braveheart” his legacy became known around the globe. But, there is a lot to separate in terms of fact from fiction.
What we really know about William Wallace comes from only a few sources, most notably the 15th century writings of a poet called Blind Harry. Unfortunately, there are many periods of Wallace’s life for which no information exists.
Sometime around A.D. 1270, William Wallace was born. The country during the time of his birth was peaceful, thriving under the rule of King Alexander III. But by 1275, Alexander and all of his heirs had died. This left a terrible power vacuum in the Kingdom.
No less than 13 noblemen stepped forward to claim the crown, including the two biggest players, Robert the Bruce, and John Balloil. This period is now known as the “Great Cause.” and in an effort to avoid a civil war between them, the Scottish nobles invited the English King, Edward I, also known as Edward Longshanks, to help arbitrate the succession. But King Edward used his influence to mold Balliol into a puppet for English interests.
Small acts of resistance and violence broke out here and there across Scotland. There were pockets of rebellion, but no one to unite them.
It’s here that William Wallace pops into the history books. In May of 1297, Wallace and a small group of other rebels murder the Sherriff of Lanark, supposedly in rebellion for the English Sheriff killing the woman that Wallace loved.
Later that same month the English and the Scottish forces met at the Battle of Stirling. Although the Scottish army was greatly outnumbered, they had a much stronger strategy. Wallace was formally knighted at Selkirk, a symbol of great respect for the man who was fighting so hard for Scottish freedom. Scotland was nearly free, if only for a moment.
But in April of 1298, King Edward received intelligence of the Scots nearby location at Falkirk. While the Scottish army still had strong tactics on their side, this time the English forces had Welsh longbowmen. It was a bitter defeat of the Scottish forces, who lost many men. But somehow, William Wallace had escaped capture.
In August of 1305, the luck of William Wallace ran out. He was seized near Glasgow when a Scottish knight betrayed him, revealing his location to Edward’s men. Wallace was brought to London where he was tried at Westminster Hall. During the trial, he uttered the iconic line: “I could not be a traitor to Edward, for I was never his subject.”
On the 23rd of August, William Wallace was hung, drawn and quartered as a grim reminder of what rebellion against the English would mean.
After his death, a new rebellion under Robert the Bruce would free Scotland. William Wallace is one of the most celebrated figures in Scottish history, and remains a national hero.