Whether you know his name thanks to Mel Gibson ’s portraiture in " Braveheart " or from Joshua Jackson ’s parody of say portrayal inan iconic installment of Dawson ’s Creek(I’m in the latter camp ) , William Wallace has become synonymous with medievalScottishhistory . But like so many legends , Wallace ’s story is n’t quite in line with the pa culture representation most of us are familiar with .
Here are some things you may not love about the renowned Scottishknight :
1. He’s Considered One of Scotland’s Greatest National Heroes
Wallace is credited with leading the Scottish resistance force during the struggle to resign Scotland from English rule . In 1296 , King Edward I of England deposed and immure the Scottish Billie Jean Moffitt King John de Balliol and declared himself the rule of Scotland . While resistance efforts had already commence , Wallace is credited with kick things into high gear in May 1297 when he gathered 30 men together toburn down the town of Lanark and stamp out its English sheriff . He then organized an army to attack the English troops and — despite being vastly outnumber — kill many more as they seek to traverse over into Scotland . He near liberate the country from occupy forces and invaded northerly England . He was knight in 1297 , and proclaim guardian of the kingdom , but in 1298 , his men were defeated by Edward ’s troops in theBattle of Falkirk , Stirling .
2. You Shouldn’t Consider “Braveheart” a Wallace History Lesson
Google " Braveheart inaccuracies " and you may expend the remainder of your twenty-four hours scrolling through pages and pages of ( rightfully ) irate commentary . The 1995 cinema definitely film some autonomy with Wallace ’s story ( for one thing , he did not wear a tartan kilt — those did n’t show up until 500 days later ) . While the film did bring international attention to Wallace ’s story , it did n’t exactly do it Justice Department , concord to experts .
" apart from a 1975 novel by Nigel Tranter ( ' The Wallace ' ) , there have been very few representations of William Wallace in pop culture , which reach ' Braveheart ' influential in the populace ’s image of the man , " Tom Turpie , task historian and history lecturer at the University of Stirling write via e-mail .
" In worldwide , I bump that these representations of Wallace , especially ' Braveheart , ' shine into a gob that we often retrieve with medieval Scottish story . Very often , as we find in ' Braveheart , ' the popular presentation of the topic ( either through film , at historic web site and more and more on tv ) , is so simplified or includes unnecessary fiction ( like Wallace play the English fairy in ' Mary , Queen of Scots , ' and films having him contact Elizabeth I , etc . ) that are much less interesting than what actually befall . I never understand the need to make up anything about Scotland ’s gothic yesteryear as the reality is always more interesting than any fiction !
" The principal problem , specifically with ' Braveheart ' ( aside from its many historical inaccuracies ) , is that it gives Wallace rather simplistic 20th - C motive — patriotism , desire for political ego - determination and autonomy — and completely misconstrue his social condition ( he was a small noble from the southwest , not a highland peasant living in a mud shanty fatigue tartan ) , " Turpie says .
3. He Was a Diplomat Later in His Life
One small-arm of the Wallace teaser that ’s often lose is the fact that he became a diplomat later in his career , wait on as an minister plenipotentiary for the Scots to the courts of Europe . " What is almost always miss out in the pop versions ( and ignored in " Braveheart " ) , is the most interesting part of Wallace ’s calling , " Turpie says . " After defeat at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298 , for much of the next three to four years , he jaunt abroad as a diplomatist , visiting the king of France and the pontiff in Rome ( and possibly the exiled Scots king ) and seems to have played an important role in benefit accompaniment for the Scots causal agent from these group . "
4. Some Scholars Consider Him an “Accidental Braveheart”
In a 2011 clause for The Scotsman , University of Glasgow Scots history professorDauvit Broundescribes the evidence he uncover that indicates Wallace was a " atomic number 27 - leader " in the execution of Sheriff William Hesilrig , the English sheriff of Lanark in 1297 ( the event that kicked off the Scots rebellion ) , not necessarily the leader .
" Before he became the loss leader , there is a radiation pattern in the three main acts of resistance we know about where Wallace is carbon monoxide - leader with someone who was his social superior ( pop the sheriff of Lanark was co - led by Sir Richard of Lundie , attacking the justiciary at Scone was co - led by Sir William Douglas , and the Battle of Stirling Bridge was co - led by Sir Andrew Moray ) , " Broun writes via email . " By the end of 1297 , only Wallace was left as drawing card . What this suggests is that Wallace did not plan or want to be sole leader of the resistance , but was prepared to take on this purpose when it became necessary . "
accord to Broun , it was actually Lundie , a close ally of Wallace who rose with him in opposition to the English occupation of Scotland , probably responsible for sparking the revolution . " It was Lundie who led the band with Wallace that was responsible for the putting to death of the Sheriff of Lanark May 3 , 1297 , " he says .
5. There’s a Period of His Life That’s a Little Mysterious
While there ’s some grounds that Wallace went to France in 1299 after the Scottish frustration and after accept on the use of a solo irregular leader , nothing is known about his aliveness from the fall of 1299 through 1303 . In 1305 , however , he was nab near Glasgow and taken to London where he was condemned as a double-dealer to the king ( despite the fact that he stated he had never affirm allegiance to King Edward in the first place ) . His dying was n’t pretty : He was hanged , disemboweled , beheaded and quartered . It was n’t until the following year that his successor , Robert de Bruce ( later King Robert I ) ignite the rising that finally won Scotland its independence .
