On This Day in History: William Wallace is Executed for High Treason

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Many people know the name William Wallace. In the clip below, Mel Gibson plays him in the film Braveheart (1995), and it is just one of many examples of how the name William Wallace lives on to this present day.

His story is one of a man who had his life and his freedom taken from him, and who would stop at nothing to get it back, and this relentless pursuit of freedom and independence in the face of oppression is what has helped turn Sir William Wallace into one of the most famous characters in all of history.

But what do we really know about William? Who was he? When did he live? When and how did he die? And what kind of man he was?

Curious students of history would love to know all the answers to these questions, but the truth is that much of his life remains shrouded in mystery.

There are so few historical reliable sources that most of our knowledge is a mere collection of loose facts, myth, and imagination. However, that doesn’t mean we are completely ignorant, and it doesn’t mean he is any less interesting. So, we’re going to dive into what we do know about this legendary man to see if the myths around him can be counted as truth.

Besides Braveheart, I highly recommend the two movies made about Robert the Bruce, which are in effect, the “Rest of the Story” in regards to Scottish Independence from England in the 14th Century.

The first is Outlaw King (2018) with Chris Pine and the second is Robert the Bruce (2019) with Angus Macfadyen.

Personally, I preferred Outlaw King between the two simply because of it’s realism and gritty battle scenes, but both movies are very well written and acted and worth your time.