Scotland is one of the most beautiful countries on this planet. From its deep blue waters to its rocky cliffs and its historic castles, there’s always something to admire in Scotland. And considering the fact that I’m a native resident of the land, I figured that I could give a very brief overview of Scotland’s history over the course of a few blog entries; more specifically, I will be focusing on one or two figures, moments or events, and I will not be going in chronological order.
In this entry, I will be talking about one of Scotland’s most revered heroes: William Wallace.
William Wallace
William Wallace was born in the late 1200s to a gentry family; essentially, he was born into a higher-class family than most. At only 27 years old, Wallace was incredibly young when he began fighting the English in order to help free Scotland from England’s control.
During this time, Scotland’s king, John de Balliol, had been gaoled by England’s King Edward I to the chagrin of the Scottish people. Wallace decided that he would not stand idly by and watch his home be controlled by England’s king. At first, Wallace gathered a group of soldiers and attacked a few English strongholds in Scotland. Eventually, the uprising grew, and Wallace became a legend for his victories.
Wallace’s most notable victory was at Stirling Bridge. When a large English army had attacked Wallace and his men, it seemed as though Wallace’s small army was hopeless. But Wallace used his intellect and superior military strategy to defeat the English in a crushing victory on the bridge, going on to take control of Stirling Castle. This was a major victory for the Scottish, who had almost completely rid themselves of King Edward’s English forces.
Due to his heroics and military prowess, Wallace was dubbed as a knight and became the guardian of Scotland for a brief time.
Unfortunately, he was eventually captured by the English forces and killed. But the movement that Wallace had helped start was too large for the English to stop. The Scottish eventually won their independence several years later, and Wallace is now seen as a great hero of the land.
This brief overview does not do Wallace’s full storey justice, but it at least covers the basics. Scotland is a land with an incredibly rich history and I’m excited to discuss more of it in this series. Stay tuned!