William Wallace ( January 1272- 23 August 1305) was a Scottish minor noble who was the son of Malcolm Wallace and Margaret Crawford. After witnessing the cruelty of King Edward I of England towards the people of Scotland and the murder of his wife, Wallace swore vengeance and became the leader of the resistance struggle against England. He inspired Scottish patriotism in the form of Robert the Bruce, but was executed in 1305 after being betrayed.
Biography[]
William Wallace as a young man
William Wallace was born in Elderslie in Renfrewshire, Scotland to Malcolm Wallace. He was the younger brother of John Wallace. In 1280, while William was young, his father went to a parley with King Edward the Longshanks of England to discuss peace terms, as Edward invaded Scotland. William snuck to the meeting, against his father's wishes, only for him to find that the delegates from Scotland had all been hung in the barn. William was mentally scarred, and his father accompanied him back home.
Angered by the hanging of the Scottish clan heads, Malcolm Wallace and John Wallace joined the resistance struggle against England. William was left at home to make sure that the farm was alright, but one day, when the villagers came home, he found his father and brother dead and wheeled back to him on a cart. The two were buried, and William was forced to move away to his uncle Argyle's home. He learned history, as well as how to speak French and Latin, and one time he accompanied his uncle on a pilgrimage to Rome. He learned much from his travels, and unlike many other villagers, he had a fine education.
William Wallace at the Battle of Stirling
In May 1297, having grown into a young man, Wallace was loved by many women. He secretly married his childhood friend Murron MacClannough, as he did not want to share her with an English lord after Edward proclaimed the prima noctae law (lords would be allowed to take the wife on the first day of her union and sleep with her for one night, before returning her to the groom). However, he was powerless to stop her from being almost raped, and when he beat down the English officer who attacked her, he faced many more troops. He told Murron to meet him in the woods, and he escaped, but Murron was captured and her throat was slit. Sherriff William Heselrig planned to lure Wallace back to Lanark by killing her and defacing the bodies of Wallace's father and brother. Wallace returned to the town, and with aid from the population, he slaughtered the garrison and killed Heselrig. Aided by the MacGregors from nearby, Wallace and his band took control of the Lanark Castle, killed Lord Bottoms, and sent the garrison back to England.
Wallace's feats spread quickly, and many men joined him. King Edward dispatched Prince Edward of Wales to quell the rebellion as he headed to France to expand his son's future kingdom, but the young Prince Edward fooled around with his friend Philip, leaving the Earl of Surrey and Hugh de Cressingham to fight him. The English outnumbered the Scots, but using a clever cavalry flanking maneuver, Wallace led his army (bolstered by the troops of Scots nobles Craig, Mornay, Lochlan, and Robert the Bruce) to victory in the Battle of Stirling in September.
News of Stirling reached King Edward in France, who was angered that his northern army was annihilated. Wallace was dealing with his own issues; he was made the Guardian of Scotland, but had to worry about choosing his loyalty. John Balliol told him to uphold his rightful claim and invited him to continue his support for the Balliols, but a fight broke out as many of the nobles pleaded "down with the Balliols!", as they felt that the Balliols were Edward Longshanks' men. Wallace left the meeting, and he met Robert the Bruce, who told him that he needed the nobles.
Eventually, King Edward planned to invade Scotland with a large army under his control. Wallace, meanwhile, planned an invasion of England, met with complaints from the Scottish nobles. Wallace was undaunted and sacked York, killing Longshanks' nephew, the Governor, and sent his head back to London. His logic for the sacking of York was that it was the starting point of invasions of Scotland and that many Scottish women and children had been killed by the Governor's men. King Edward, infuriated, launched an invasion of Scotland. Edward stalled Wallace with peace talks, knowing that even if he accepted his bribe his armies from England and Ireland would both land too late for Wallace to prepare. When the English landed, the nobles were in confusion, so Wallace told them that he needed every man available, even the nobles themselves and their bodyguards. Edward gave Lochlan an estate on the Thames and much land; Mornay fell for much less. Robert the Bruce was also convinced to defect secretly. In the Battle of Falkirk on 22 July 1298, the Scottish army was joined by the Irish and were close to winning the battle when Mornay and Lochlan deserted, and the English archers rained arrows on their men and Scots alike. The result was an English victory, acheived through cruelty and deception. Wallace was wounded, but saved by a remorseful Bruce.
Wallace continued to lead guerrilla warfare for the next seven years, with aid from France. In 1305, Robert the Bruce issued a pledge, saying that he would contribute troops to the independence struggle and he would fight to become King of Scotland. He arranged a meeting with Wallace, but the Bruce's pro-English father set him up and Wallace was captured by English troops. Soon, Wallace was brought before the Magistrate of London, who told him that he could be sentenced to a violent death for rebellion against King Edward. Wallace refused to kiss the seal on his robes, and was sentenced to death.
Death[]
Wallace was subject to many forms of torture before his ending. He was first hung from the neck but released before he died, and he was then stretched between the gallows and two ropes tied to his legs, and released before he was torn in half. Finally, Wallace was given the chance to beg for mercy and be imprisoned in the Tower of London, but he refused, and he was cut open. Wallace was quartered, with his four limbs put in the four corners of England and his head mounted before the Tower of London.