The strange story of Sir William Wallace

[sesame]

Ah, its so kind of you rhythmic delivery to call me a fool and a Fucking Moron. How very polite of you!

In the terrorism thread, Tux has talked about Braveheart and compared him to a terrorist! I have only spoken out against that. Since they they were calling him Braveheart, I did so too. (Is that a crime?) You are right, its William Wallace, they were talking about.

Originally Posted by Tux

Look at it this way... Will U consider braveheart to be a freedomfighter or a terrorist?? Well.. If it was today, that he lived, then he would for shure (pardon my bad english), be considered a terrorist..

I am no authority on...

Sir William Wallace

I know very little about him... except these:
Born: 1276 AD (according to History of William Wallace and Scottish Affairs) in the village of Elderslie, near Johnstone in Renfrewshire, Scotland.

His Brave Deeds: Kindly Read Exploits And Death Of William Wallace (Prose), "Hero Of Scotland" by the celebrated author Sir Walter Scott.
Also read, The Acts and Deeds of Sir William Wallace, Knight of Elderslie, by Blind Harry (15th century). Please, I dont want to bore you with details.

First of all, Wallace was Scottish, freedom was his birth-right. And the English were occupying Scotland by force and carrying on a tyrannic rule marked by punishment and violence.
Edward I of England invaded Scotland, took Berwick and slaughtered eight thousand of its citizens:. as stated by Sir Walter Scott

1) May 1297, Braveheart beheaded the cruel English Sheriff of Lanark, William Heselrig responsible for publicly murdering Wallace's fiance Marion Braidfute of Lamington.

2) Wallace overpowers and snatches the Ardrossan Castle out of English occupation and burns it to the ground. The place is nowadays known as Wallace's Larder.

3) August 1297, Wallace and his men leave Selkirk Forest to join forces with Andrew Moray(another freedom fighter) at Stirling.

4) Disturbed by the guerilla war started by Wallace, King Edward punished Scotland by hanging all the members of the Council of Barons in Ayr (including Ronald Crawford ) & Renfrewshire. Wallace reached the spot with his men, rose against the English garrison, and killed them all.

5) September of 1297. The tiny Scottish army led by William Wallace and Andrew Moray defeated the Vast English army of 3,000 cavalry and 10,000 infantry! Yeah! Everybody knows about the famous battle of Stirling Bridge!

6) After winning Stirling, he was knighted SIR William Wallace along with John Graham(his 2nd in command) and William Crawford(son of Baron Ronald Crawford. The ceremony was conducted by Robert the Bruce(Earl of Carrick). Wallace was awarded the title of Guardian of Scotland and Leader of its armies. A true hero, dont you think?

7) March of 1298. William Wallace captured some territory in Northern England to Challange King Edward 1. Truely Braveheart!

8) Sadly enough, in the battle of Falkirk, the English Army snatched Victory. Wallace lost. On 1st April of 1298, the English invaded Roxburgh, Scotland. They robbed and destroyed Lothian and captured a few castles previously lost.

9) After Scotland suffered badly at the hands of the English army, Wallace decided to transfer power to Robert Bruce and John Comyn. Sadly and treacherously enough, Bruce joined forces with King Edward the villain in 1302, without the knowledge of Wallace.

10) August 5th, 1305. William Wallace was captured by a Scottish Knight called John de Menteith by an act of betrayal. He was handed over to the English and taken to Westminster Hall in London for a FAIR trial!! In the hall of the trial, Wallace was crowned with oak leaves and mocked as the king of the Outlaws! He was tortured in a most gruesome manner and they tried to force an acknowledge out of him. They failed! Wallace declared, "I could not be a traitor to Edward, for I was never his subject". He was charged with treason anyway and announced guilty!

Here is the text from Sir Walter Scott's work:

Originally Posted by Sir Walter Scott

Sir William Wallace was instantly transferred to London, where he was brought to trial in Westminster Hall, with as much apparatus of infamy as the ingenuity of his enemies could devise. He was crowned with a garland of oak,
to intimate that he had been king of outlaws. The arraignment charged him with high treason, in respect that he had stormed and taken towns and castles, and shed much blood. "Traitor," said Wallace, "was I never." The rest of the charges he confessed and proceeded to justify them. He was condemned, and executed by decapitation, 1305. His head was placed on a pinnacle on London bridge, and his quarters were distributed over the kingdom.

11) After the phony trial, on 23 August 1305, Wallace was immediately taken from the hall to face the real punishment of death in the Most Gruesome Manner possible! He was dragged over the road through the city of London naked and trampled by horses hooves. Wallace endured unspeakable pain as he was strangled by hanging but released still alive, again and again! His genitals were severed while he was alive. His guts were cut open from his belly and fried in front of him! And finally thank God, his battered head was kindly cut off! Wow! It reminds me of Jesus Christ!

12) You have earned it! Please read the rest of the atrocities. After beheading, Braveheart ie, William Wallace's body was cut into four parts. His head was put for display upon a spear on London Bridge. His other body parts were separately flaunted with in Aberdeen, Berwick, Newcastle and Stirling. Wow, there must have been a carnival!

13) The exact site of William Wallace's cruel execution is near the St. Bartholomew's Hospital at Smithfield, London.

Below are some of the statues built in memory of
Sir William Wallace, the Guardian of Scotland.