“I am William Wallace, and the rest of you will be spared. Go back to England and tell them… Scotland is free!” The heroic Scottish patriot roared these words to the face of his formidable English foes during the Scottish revolution. By now you are wondering who is William Wallace? What did this man do? Was this man really a man? Why did he do what he did? And what makes him a hero? I can tell you now that he defines the word “hero” in every dimensional aspect.

Who is William Wallace? Wallace was the son of a Scottish knight and minor landowner. The name Wallace means Welshman, and Wallace was most likely descended from Richard Wallace who had gone to Scotland in the 12th century. Overall early accounts of Wallace’s life are patchy and sometimes inaccurate, mainly due to the fear he engraved in the minds of the English writers at the time. But what is certain is that Wallace was a relentless Scottish patriot with unbreakable commitment to Scotland’s righteous independence.
What did William do that was so significant? And why did he do it? William Wallace proved to the English that he was much more than just a Scottish man but a worthy adversary. William Wallace was one of Scotland’s greatest and finest national heroes. He was also the undisputed leader of Scottish resistance forces during the first years of the bloody struggle in which he died as a martyr to Scotland’s ultimate freedom. William Wallace was an honest man who had never sought personal fame nor benefited from it. He had never accumulated wealth or land, unlike the conniving Scottish nobles who had gave in to the English in return for financial gain.
What was the fire in Wallace’s heart that gave him eye of the tiger? When William was just a youngling his father was killed in a battle with English troops in 1291. It was this that is said to have sparked Wallace to fight the English with a passion. Wallace was a renegade, moving from one place to another and occasionally encountering English troops and displaying his ferocity and passion which he would use to slay them mercilessly.
What makes William Wallace a hero? Pure devotion, heart, and sacrifice. As Williams’s attacks broadened so did his support showing that he had created a revolution in Scotland. Also William had avenged his father in May 1297, by ambushing his father’s killer with as many as 30 men. But everything soon ends as all things eventually do, on august 5th, 1305; Wallace was betrayed by a conniving Scottish knight in service to the English king. William Wallace was captured but still refused to swear his allegiance to King Edward. King Edward was so frustrated, so mentally beat that he charged William Wallace with wartime murder of civilians and sentenced Wallace to be executed. On August 23rd, 1305, William Wallace was executed by being hanged then having his eyes burnt in, and then his body was quartered and put on display for all Scots to see. But this act of brutality, and cruelty only fired the Scots determination to end this madness once and for all. Taking back what is rightfully theirs Scotland!
Citations
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"Wars of Independence William Wallace." BBC. BBC, Web. 7 October 2009. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/History/Scottishhistory/Independence/Features_Independence_Wallace.shtml>.
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Campbell, Roy. "Sir William Wallace." Electric Scotland. Electric Scotland, Web. 7 October 2009. <http://www.electricscotland.com/History/Articles/William_Wallace.htm>.