The mystery warrior William Wallace played a huge part in making Scotland independent from English rule, very little is known about him but here is what we do know.

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EARLY LIFE

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William Wallace was born in 1272, or perhaps 1263, as many sources say - as I said he was a man of mystery. His father’s name is unknown but there is evidence that he may have been born in either the modern Ayr or Paisley. When he was a child Wallace’s family was bullied by an English sheriff so, once he was old enough to learn warfare - he killed him, and when he became a wanted man… he killed the English sheriff who found him.

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BATTLE SUCCESSES

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William Wallace’s most famous battle success was at Stirling Bridge and the battle tactics he used were very well thought out. This took Stirling Castle back and got the Scots partially in control. At the time Wallace was guardian of Scotland along with Andrew Moray, but Moray fell seriously ill after the battle and died. This left Wallace in total control of Scotland to make it independent.

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BATTLE DEFEATS

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Wallace was famously defeated at the Battle of Falkirk the year after Stirling Bridge. His tactics looked very good at first - they were on a hill above the English, behind a barrier of wooden stakes and a loch, but the English knights came in from both sides in vast numbers overwhelming the Scottish Forces. Many Scottish knights, foot soldiers and archers were killed that day. Wallace fled and then resigned as the guardian of Scotland.

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LATER LIFE

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After the Battle of Falkirk Wallace was an outlaw on the run, slowly making small attacks on English held Scottish castles, but eventually he was betrayed by a Scottish knight and taken to Edward I in London, tried and sentenced to death. He was dragged through the streets of London to be hung until he was almost dead but not quite. He was then dragged to The Tower of London where his intestines were pulled out and, as if that wasn’t enough, he was then chopped into four pieces and his organs cut out and burned. Each of the four parts were distributed over the kingdom, and his head…? It was put on a spike on London Bridge. Eurrrgh!