William Wallace It was a Scottish national heroactive in the war against the British and died in 1305, which inspired the famous film Braveheart – impavid heart. In the first of the two wars that Scotland fought to preserve autonomy from England, Wallace placed himself in command of an army of rebels but, after obtaining some victories, was defeated And executed. The film, directed and starring in 1995 by Mel Gibsontells its story in a completely unrealistic way.
Who was William Wallace, Braveheart’s hero
Not much is known about Wallace’s youth. Probably was born in the locality of Elderslie around the 1270 by a wealthy family, being the son of a knight and a landowner; He was able to study in a monastery and equip himself with a culture higher than the average and, in 1297, started his war against the British, who had in hatred because they had killed his father. Plus to the head of a group of rebels, Wallace invaded the Lanark city And he killed the sheriff, the main representative of the authority. Later, he joined numerous peasants to his strength and raised himself with another head of the Scottish rebellion, Andrew de Brunette. On September 11, 1297 the joint forces of Wallace and Moray faced the British in the Battle of Sterling Bridgemanaging to inflict on them a loud defeat.
The Scottish war of independence
The story of William Wallace is located in the period of the First War of Scottish independence, fought between the end of the thirteenth and early decades of the fourteenth century, against England. In 1296 the king Edoardo I of Englandtaking advantage of the emptiness of power that had been created in Scotland, favored the rise to the throne of one of the pretenders, John Balliolwho believed he could control. However, once he became king, Baliol did not accept the English hegemony and organized the resistance, allying himself with France. In 1296 Edoardo invaded Scotland with his army and managed to submit almost the whole territory. Against him, however, the rebellions of the Scots were unleashed, including the one headed by William Wallace.
The peak of success, defeat and death of William Wallace
After the victory Moray, wounded during the battle, fell ill and died. Wallace, on the other hand, led his troops in several looting in northern England. Back home, March 13, 1298 was appointed “Guardian of Scotland”, A sort of head of state. Wallace’s fortunes were about to end. In June he faced the English army again, led by King Edoardo himself, in the Battle of Falkirk And it was defeated. He had to give up the title of guardian and move to France. Later, he returned to Scotland, without however accepting peace with Edoardo signed by Robert Bruce, his successor in the office of Guardian. In 1305 it was captured by the Britishconducted in London, was sentenced to death and hanged.
The end of the war of independence and the myth of Wallace
After Wallace’s death, Scotland continued the war against the British and succeeded in defeat the invaders and to guarantee independence. The Union of Scotland and England will only take place in 1707, about 400 years later. Wallace’s story was handed down orally until about 1470, when it was put in writing by a storyteller, Harry the blind manin the poem The Acts and Deeds of the Most Famous and Valiant Champion Sir William Wallace, Knight of Elderslie. Do not exist contemporary sources of the facts, many news about Wallace’s life are uncertain or not very well founded. What is certain is that, starting from the 18th century and by the emergence of the idea of nation, in Scotland Wallace has become a national heroto which monuments and naming are dedicated.
The movie: Braveheart – Impavido heart
The famous film is dedicated to Wallace’s companies Braveheart – impavid heart of 1995, directed and played by Mel Gibson. The film achieved a resounding success, to the point of receiving five Oscar prizes, and also had an influence on the rebirth of the Scottish national conscience.
Indeed, the acting and direction of Mel Gibson are very high level. Braveheart, however, tells the story of Wallace in order to all unrealistic. Gibson preferred to create a story capable of exciting the audience, instead of telling the facts thoroughly, which would have been problematic, given the uncertainty of the sources. What are the main errors of the film? First of all, the figure of Wallace is unrealistic, because i concepts of nation and freedomof which the protagonist is presented as a sample, in the thirteenth century they were very different from today’s ones. The idea of nation did not exist and people did not consider themselves belonging to the same people, rather they felt united by being subject to the same sovereign. Many events told in BraveheartFurthermore, they are invented and the inaccuracies are very numerous. To give some examples: the bracepresented as a “prohibited” tool because Scotland’s national symbol have become an emblem of Scottish culture are in the 19th century; The Wallace’s father He died when his son was about 20 years old, not when he was a child; theclothing It was different from what the actors wear; Wallace’s relationships with the queen Isabella of France She is completely invented (the queen was only 10 years old when Wallace was executed); the Ius Primae Noctiswhich in the film is imposed by Edoardo I to the Scottish population, has never existed, neither in Scotland nor elsewhere. Ultimately, Braveheart It is an exciting but historically unreliable film. Mel Gibson sacrificed the historical precision to build an epic and engaging story, transforming Wallace into a romantic hero closest to the legend than to reality.
