Home » Worldview Training » 4 Things You Didn’t Know About William Wallace

4 Things You Didn’t Know About William Wallace

Thirteenth-century hero William Wallace is known worldwide for his legendary military maneuvers in the fight for Scottish independence. Filtered through legends and the popular film Braveheart, Wallace’s true story remains a mystery to many. Let’s explore some things you may not know about William Wallace:

1. Wallace was a man of faith. He grew up in a prominent Christian family, and he learned early to develop strong convictions toward prayer and the importance of seeking God’s will. Prior to submitting to the call to the battle, Wallace desired sincerely to become a Benedictine monk. Having been educated by his uncles who were Augustinian priests, Wallace likely held a great deal of biblical knowledge. As a boy he was given a Psalter – and when tried for treason, he asked that that very Psalter be held in front of his face until he died.

2. Wallace did not wear face paint. In the film Braveheart, Wallace dons blue face paint before battle. In reality, the practice of dying the skin blue was a pagan ritual more common among spiritualistic societies like the Picts and early Celts. Scotland, being a predominantly Christian nation in Wallace’s day, was beyond this type of practice.

3. Wallace did not wear a kilt. Tartan, often worn as a kilt and cape by Celtic nations such as Scotland, did not reach popularity until about the 16th century. Although there are records of tartans predating this era, they were earth-toned and basic, far from the elaborate color patterns we associate with Scottish clans today. Surprisingly, Scotland’s greatest warrior, guardian and diplomat never wore a kilt.

Awaken Your Child’s Love of Learning, History And Adventure With The REAL Story of William Wallace!

4. Wallace had an advanced education. He began reading at a very young age. He spoke at least four languages fluently, and possibly more, having Gaelic as his native tongue and learning Latin, French, German and possibly English from his religious education. He was an accomplished political mind, able to strategize tactically, and served overseas in France and throughout Europe as a diplomat for Scotland. He possessed strong leadership capabilities, motivating the Scottish people to place their trust in him. Raising up an army of rugged countrymen to fight against the English, his organizational and training capacities must have been astounding, especially considering the fact that he led an army that was much smaller than the English.

Wallace was a man motivated by freedom. Sir James Fergusson quoted Wallace to have said, “My son, freedom is best, I tell thee truth, of all things to be won. Then never live within the bond of slavery.” Wallace desired people to treasure and protect liberty with their own lives, seeing it as the only certainty for the continuance of the church, the family and the nation. His heroic martyrdom for freedom’s sake demonstrates the intensity of his passion for freedom.

Much of the freedom we enjoy today is the result of a paradigm produced by Wallace’s faith and courage 500 years ago. The world desperately needs heroes willing to take a stand for freedom. The world needs a new generation of Wallaces.


References

Holy Bible. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC. March 2011. Print. King James Version.
“William Wallace.” Wikiquote, Wikipedia, 9/11/2014. Wikipedia. Web. 11/6/2014. Sir William Wallace-True Patriot. www.wjpbr.com/wallace. N.p.. N.d. Web. 10/6/2014
Two William Wallace letters return to Scotland, thehistoryblog.com/archives/14475. The History Blog, 1/12/2012. Web. 11/6/2014.
“Tartan.” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tartan. Wikipedia. 11/3/2014. Web. 11/6/2014
“Celtic Warfare.” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_warfare. Wikipedia, 10/20/2014. Web. 11/6/2014.

About Bill Heid

12 comments

  1. I have read so many articles or reviews concerning the blogger lovers but this
    piece of writing is genuinely a fastidious piece of writing, keep it up.

  2. It’s fantastic that you are getting ideas from this post as well as from our argument made at this time.

  3. Aw, this was a very nice post. Taking the time and actual
    effort to produce a really good article? but what can I say?

    I hesitate a whole lot and never seem to get anything done.

  4. Hello there, just became aware of your blog through Google,
    and found that it is truly informative. I am going to
    watch out for brussels. I?ll be grateful if you
    continue this in future. A lot of people will be
    benefited from your writing. Cheers!

  5. You made some fine points there. I did a search on the theme and found
    mainly persons will have the same opinion with
    your blog.

  6. I’m impressed, I must say. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s
    both educative and amusing, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail
    on the head. The issue is something which not enough men and women are speaking
    intelligently about. I am very happy I came
    across this during my hunt for something relating to this.

  7. Hi, I do think this is a great website. I stumbledupon it 😉 I am
    going to return yet again since I book marked it. Money and freedom is the
    best way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide others.

  8. Thank you a lot for sharing this with all folks you really know what you’re speaking approximately!
    Bookmarked. Kindly also seek advice from my website
    =). We can have a link exchange contract between us

  9. Great post. I was checking continuously this weblog and I’m inspired!
    Very useful info specially the remaining section 🙂 I handle such information a lot.
    I was looking for this certain information for a long time.
    Thanks and good luck.

  10. Thanks so much regarding giving me personally an update on this theme on your web site.

    Please understand that if a new post appears or in case any variations occur to the current posting, I would be considering reading more and finding
    out how to make good usage of those techniques
    you share. Thanks for your time and consideration of other men and
    women by making your blog available.

  11. Very quickly this web page will be famous amid all blogging viewers, due
    to it’s pleasant content

  12. May I just say what a comfort to find an individual who truly knows what they’re discussing on the internet.
    You actually understand how to bring an issue to light and make
    it important. A lot more people ought to read this and understand this side of your story.
    I was surprised you’re not more popular given that you surely possess the gift.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*