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The Real William Wallace
- Published 9 February 2009
- Scotland History
THE DEMISE OF WILLIAM WALLACE
There is no doubt that William Wallace was a true Scottish patriot who had absolutely no intention of submitting in any way to English rule or domination. One year after the battle of Stirling Bridge, William Wallace lost the battle of Falkirk, probably due to the relentless arrows of King Edwards army. This loss affected Wallace's reputation badly and in September 1298 he resigned as Guardian Of Scotland in order to make way for Robert Bruce. In 1302 Robert Bruce drew up peace plans with Edward but this was not with the blessing of William Wallace. Wallace then made a trip to France, Scotland's old ally, to plead for help, and returned in 1303.
Wallace managed to evade capture until August 1305 when the Scottish knight John De Menteith, who was loyal to King Edward, captured him at Robroyston near Glasgow. William Wallace was taken to London and placed on trial for treason. According to records Wallace claimed he could not possibly be guilty of treason as he had never sworn loyalty to Edward. Found guilty, William Wallace was hung, drawn and quartered on the 23rd of August 1305, and his limbs were sent to Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling and Aberdeen to be put on public display on pikes as a warning to others.
CONCLUSION
There is no doubt that Wallace believed in his country and had a deep rooted hatred of the English, as was the case with many Scottish people at the time. However few have the courage to put their feelings into action, and Wallace did. There were quite a few historical documents written with content about William Wallace at the time but the main issue is the elaborate poem written by Blind Harry two centuries later. Unfortunately many of the subsequent tales about Wallace have been based on the poem, not documents, and the poem was mostly a ficticious work from the creative mind of Blind Harry.
At the close of the day one thing rings true about William Wallace that nobody can deny - he was a loyal and fierce Scottish patriot, not driven by greed, money or lands, but for this love of his own country and determination to make sure that the people of Scotland never had to be subjected to the rule of England. It is for this reason that William Wallace is an inspirational figure in the history of Scotland and the hearts of the Scottish people.
There is no doubt that William Wallace was a true Scottish patriot who had absolutely no intention of submitting in any way to English rule or domination. One year after the battle of Stirling Bridge, William Wallace lost the battle of Falkirk, probably due to the relentless arrows of King Edwards army. This loss affected Wallace's reputation badly and in September 1298 he resigned as Guardian Of Scotland in order to make way for Robert Bruce. In 1302 Robert Bruce drew up peace plans with Edward but this was not with the blessing of William Wallace. Wallace then made a trip to France, Scotland's old ally, to plead for help, and returned in 1303.
Wallace managed to evade capture until August 1305 when the Scottish knight John De Menteith, who was loyal to King Edward, captured him at Robroyston near Glasgow. William Wallace was taken to London and placed on trial for treason. According to records Wallace claimed he could not possibly be guilty of treason as he had never sworn loyalty to Edward. Found guilty, William Wallace was hung, drawn and quartered on the 23rd of August 1305, and his limbs were sent to Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling and Aberdeen to be put on public display on pikes as a warning to others.
CONCLUSION
There is no doubt that Wallace believed in his country and had a deep rooted hatred of the English, as was the case with many Scottish people at the time. However few have the courage to put their feelings into action, and Wallace did. There were quite a few historical documents written with content about William Wallace at the time but the main issue is the elaborate poem written by Blind Harry two centuries later. Unfortunately many of the subsequent tales about Wallace have been based on the poem, not documents, and the poem was mostly a ficticious work from the creative mind of Blind Harry.
At the close of the day one thing rings true about William Wallace that nobody can deny - he was a loyal and fierce Scottish patriot, not driven by greed, money or lands, but for this love of his own country and determination to make sure that the people of Scotland never had to be subjected to the rule of England. It is for this reason that William Wallace is an inspirational figure in the history of Scotland and the hearts of the Scottish people.