William Wallace

"Every man dies. Not every man really lives." - William Wallace

William Wallace was born in 1272 in Elerslie, Renfrewshire, Scotland and died in August 23, 1305.  William Wallace lived in a fairly calm period of time in Scottish history. For generations, Scottish monarchs had ruled successfully, and now, in the 1270s, King Alexander III had dealt with the England's more powerful king, Edward I. In time though Scotland was effectively under English military occupation. William Wallace though is considered one of Scotland's greatest heroes, thanks to his opposition to English rule under Edward I in the 13th century. He was son of a minor Scottish lord, and was educated and rebellious. He became the leader of a small band and earned the reputation of being a friend to Scots who suffered at the hands of their English conquerors.

Wallace's support came from the lower classes and the lesser nobility, with few exceptions, the greater nobles were never enthusiastic, loyal, long-term allies. He was named an outlaw for killing an Englishman in 1292, and he fled for the hills and harassed English soldiers. In 1297 Wallace and his army drove the English from Scotland and then invaded northern England. In December of 1297 Wallace was elected Guardian of the Kingdom and began to rule Scotland. The Rising of 1297, led by Wallace, caused Edward I of England to send a special force against him. The first meeting of the two armies was at Stirling Bridge on September 11, and here Wallace gained a great victory. The English had superior numbers, but Wallace had a favorable position, a large measure of patience, and a sufficient talent for tactics to rout the impatient and poorly led enemy. Wallace followed up his triumph by moving swiftly to restore Scottish control over every fortress and castle in Scotland.

The victory at Stirling Bridge had made Wallace the liberator of Scotland. Riding the wave of success, Wallace carried the war into England. In this period he gained a noble title, and he styled himself "guardian of the realm of king John." Wallace's work was so devastating that Edward made truce in his war with France so as to be free to face the threat from the north. Edward moved quickly to force an open battle.

The battle of Falkirk July 22, 1298 is remembered in Scottish history as the occasion on which Scots fought valiantly but in defense of their independence against far greater numbers. The noble cavalry defected from Wallace's army without striking a single blow. The Scottish infantry withstood the onslaughts of English cavalry, but without horsemen Wallace was unable to carry the battle to the enemy. When Edward brought his archers into play, the Scots were doomed. With his army decimated, Wallace resigned his office as guardian of the realm and withdrew from the center of the political stage. Little was known of Wallace's career in the years between 1298 and 1303 except that he visited France and Rome in an unsuccessful search for help against Edward. On his return to Scotland, William Wallace became the object of relentless pursuit by Edward, and on Aug. 5, 1305, he was betrayed to the English by his one-time subordinate Sir John Menteith. He was transported to London, and was obliged to stand trial for acts of war and treason. Wallace was condemned and dragged by horses to the gallows, hanged, and disemboweled. His head was impaled on London Bridge and his quartered body was distributed for display at four castles in Scotland.

The way he was portrayed in history makes me wonder how the world would be like if there weren’t any changes or revolution. The world would be a place of no hope and wonder. In any case though we do have revolutionaries in different eras/times that make change. In other words the world can be seen as a human, a human makes mistakes but has opportunities to change. And by the looks of it it has been changing ever since the world started.

William Wallace Movie