| Sir William Wallace (c. 1274-1305) was a Scottish | | | | France and July 22 of that year Wallace's forces |
| patriot and one of Scotland's greatest heroes. He | | | | (mainly spearmen) were crushingly defeated by |
| led Scotland's revolt during the early years of the | | | | Edward's forces (with their archers and cavalry) in |
| long struggle to achieve Scottish independence | | | | the Battle of Falkirk, Stirling, Scotland. |
| and freedom from English rule. | | | | Wallace then gave up his Guardianship and in 1799 |
| In 1296 King Edward I of England took advantage | | | | went to France where he tried, unsuccessfully, to |
| of a struggle in Scotland at that time between | | | | enlist support from Philip IV. |
| two contenders for the Scottish throne, | | | | Meanwhile, most of the Scottish nobility |
| imprisoning one of them (John de Baliol) and | | | | transferred their allegiance to Edward I. Wallace |
| sidelining the other. He then carried off the | | | | was declared an outlaw and a price put on his |
| Scottish coronation stone from | | | | head. |
| Scone, Scotland to Westminster, England and | | | | Wallace returned to Scotland where he continued |
| declared himself king of Scotland. | | | | to wage war from the hills. On August 5, 1305 he |
| Edward I was called away to fight Philip IV in | | | | was betrayed and captured by another Scot, Sir |
| France, and Wallace took the opportunity to rally | | | | John de Menteith. |
| the Scots to his forces and begin fighting the | | | | Wallace was taken to London, put on trial and |
| English occupiers. | | | | sentenced to death for treason (although, as he |
| In May 1297, Wallace and a band of 30 men burnt | | | | maintained in the trial, he could not have been a |
| the town of Lanark, Scotland and killed the English | | | | traitor, having never sworn allegiance to Edward). |
| sheriff. | | | | He was cruelly executed by hanging, drawing and |
| On September 11, 1297, Wallace's forces | | | | quartering. |
| confronted an English army (under John de | | | | After his death, Wallace's life became a symbol |
| Warenne, earl of Surrey) at the Forth River near | | | | for the Scottish struggle for independence from |
| Stirling Castle and, though outnumbered, won the | | | | England, a struggle that was to last over 700 |
| day by killing the English forces as they were | | | | years. |
| forced to use a narrow bridge to cross the Forth. | | | | In 1995, a film named Braveheart, starring Mel |
| Through this important victory, most of Scotland | | | | Gibson, came out which was loosely built around |
| was freed of the English occupiers and under the | | | | the biography of William Wallace. In the American |
| control of Wallace. Wallace began to rule Scotland | | | | Historical Review, historian Elizabeth Ewan |
| as "Guardian" of the Kingdom in the name of the | | | | describes Braveheart as a film which "almost |
| imprisoned John de Baliol. He was knighted by the | | | | totally sacrifices historical accuracy for epic |
| Scottish nobility for his services. | | | | adventure". Unfortunately, in the popular mind, the |
| In October 1297 Wallace's forces briefly ravaged | | | | film, rather than the historical facts, has become |
| northern England as far as Newcastle. | | | | the true version of the life of William Wallace. |
| In March 1798 Edward I returned from the war in | | | | |