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What Do We Really Know About William Wallace?

There he sat on his destrier, flashing a claymore larger and heavier than most mortal men could even heft. With his clean-shaven face half painted blue, William Wallace galloped toward the English lines, dressed in his plaid kilt to “pick a fight” with the English miscreants who invaded his country, murdered his wife, and attacked Scottish liberty.

Wallace might have actually been seven feet tall (Mel Gibson is 5’10”), was likely bearded, and probably wore armor against the English. There is no record that his wife died at the hand of enemies, but the English did invade and destroy Scottish independence. The 1995 film Braveheart, starring the aforementioned Gibson, was a box-office hit and vaulted the Scottish hero Wallace to international recognition and fame.

Finding out the details of a person’s life, especially one who lived six hundred years ago can be a daunting task. Our knowledge of the life of William Wallace depends largely on a poem, popularly known as The Wallace, written one hundred seventy years after his death, by a monk known as Blind Harry. The records of King Edward I fill in some details and Scottish sources, by inference and sparse mention, supply a few more. Needless to say, a great deal of heroic mythology and imagination fill in the sparse documentable record of Wallace’s life through the centuries.

It appears that Wallace’s ancestors were among the lesser nobility and had feudal ties to James Stewart, fifth high steward of Scotland. Judging from the personal seal of William Wallace, he may have been an archer and perhaps even fought in the English army sometime in his past. What we all know for certain was that an English army led by John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surry, fought a Scottish army led by Andrew de Moray and William Wallace at the Battle of Stirling Bridge on 11 September, 1297.

Since de Moray died of wounds received in the battle, Wallace’s name and success propelled him to further leadership and recognition as the “Guardian of Scotland,” since John Balliol, the Scottish King, was incarcerated in England. The battle at Stirling was not the beginning of the rebellion against the overlordship of King Edward I; nor was it the first appearance of Wallace on the historical stage.

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

English records show that Wallace had been declared an outlaw after his assassination of the Sheriff of Lanark, William de Hesselrig, in the spring of 1297. He followed that attack with a raid on the royal coronation town of Scone. Likely with every success, more Scots flew to his banners until he had a sizeable coalition of militant bands. Risings against English tyranny continued above the Firth of Forth, though many nobles bowed to the crusading warrior King in exchange for land, castles, and peace.

Wallace never recognized royal English authority however, and combined his forces with those of Moray, resulting in the defeat of the larger enemy army. Such a crushing victory over a major English force resounded like a firebell in the night for thousands of Scottish patriots. By November, Wallace and his men were ravaging Northumberland and Cumberland in England. The firebell awakened another giant, not a Scot.

The great Edward, conqueror of Wales, Holy Land crusader and legal reformer, turned his fierce gaze to Scotland to avenge Stirling Bridge and deal with the upstart rebels himself. Tall and powerful, he was in fact nicknamed “Longshanks.” Edward prepared a diverse and overwhelming body of veteran troops and marched north to punish the Scots and kill William Wallace. The liberty-loving, independent Scottish barons could either submit or go to the Tower of London in a cage, perish in battle, or die on the gibbet.

To be continued…

Stay tuned! Our next edition of the Live The Adventure Letter will feature part 2 of this interesting series investigating the truth behind the real William Wallace.

About Bill Potter

Bill Potter is a historian who teaches and writes from a biblical/providential perspective. He leads history tours in the United States and Europe for Landmark Events. He is the home-school father of eight and grandfather of fourteen. His degrees are from Cedarville University and The University of Dayton. He lives near Atlanta, Georgia.

2 comments

  1. I am enjoying the article. I love history from God’s Christian view and I want to make Bible class more like an adventure for kids, at the same time they get to know God.

  2. Thank you for the article. Is there any indication that William Wallace was a religious man?
    If so, What were some of the more popular religions in Scotland at that time? Is there a chance he may have been a Christian? Thank you!

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