A Brief History
On August 5, 1305, William Wallace, the Scottish hero known as “Braveheart” in the 1995 movie, was captured by the English and then executed for treason in the gory way “traitors” were put to death at that time.
Digging Deeper
Wallace was a landowner. Born in Renfrewshire, Scotland around 1270, he had some noble blood. When the throne of Scotland was up for grabs in the late 1280s, the King of England, Edward I, stepped in to play kingmaker and selected John Balliol to play his puppet. King John, Edward’s “yes man,” was considered weak by his fellow Scots and soon ousted. In retaliation, Edward I invaded Scotland, and a War of Scottish Independence ensued.
Wallace, probably a trained soldier or mercenary, joined the cause and beat the English army at the battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297, earning him the title of Guardian of Scotland. Wallace lost that title a year later when he was defeated at Falkirk but kept up the resistance, nonetheless.
Captured near Glasgow in 1305, he was carted off to London, tried for treason and convicted. His execution was especially horrible so to serve notice to anyone that would defy the crown. Stripped naked and dragged through the city behind a horse, he was first hanged (strangled) just short of death, before being cut down. He was then drawn and quartered, each limb almost being pulled off by horses. Physically broken, his genitals were cut off and his abdomen sliced open, spilling his guts out. Finally his guts were burnt before him while he was still alive.
And lastly in an act of “mercy,” he was beheaded. His body was then cut up into 4 parts to be displayed in 4 different towns as a warning to would-be rebels. His head was dipped in tar and displayed on London Bridge.
Wallace is immortalized in verse and prose and, of course, in the well-known Mel Gibson film Braveheart (1995). A plaque stands near the spot where he was executed, and in 1869 a monument was erected to him at the location of Stirling Bridge. Historical Inaccuracy: The movie Braveheart is considered to be historically quite inaccurate. For example, at the Stirling Bridge battle depicted in the movie, there is no bridge!
The truth is not many details of the life of William Wallace are known. His exact village and region of birth are contested, as is his parentage and occupation prior to rebellion. One of the main works about him lists him as 7 feet tall, almost assuredly an exaggeration. What history does know is that he was a real person that really fought the English and was executed for his efforts.
Today, Scotland is contemplating increased independence from the United Kingdom, and William Wallace remains a national hero.
Question for students (and subscribers): What other Scottish heroes would you like to see profiled in History and Headlines? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Anderson, Lin. Braveheart – The Movie that Made History. 2012.
Gibson, Mel, dir. Braveheart. Warner Bros., 2009. Blu-ray.
MacKay, James. William Wallace: Brave Heart. Mainstream Publishing, 1996.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="3447 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=3447">27 Comments
What a gross way to be executed.
I’m not a fan of Mel Gibson and I enjoy the scene in Braveheart where he is executed. It’s interesting to learn that so much about Wallace is actually unknown.
It is so hard to believe that people can be so cruel! — DAVID WARDLE
Such a digusting way to go out. He was a man that lived by the sword and died by it.
ummm…. good article and very disturbing to know he died that way
it doesn’t surprise me that Braveheart is inaccurate, hollywood embellishes historical facts all the time and makes us believe things that never did happen. it is sad to think that is how Wallace had to leave the world
Very disgusting way to die.
Braveheart was a good movie but I’m not surprised that it is not historically correct. I can’t imagin dying like this.
Braveheart was an excellent movie
That had to be an awful way to die, so gruesome.
It is not a surprise that Braveheart is inaccurate but I can’t imagine being killed in such a gruesome way. Also, I haven’t heard of many Scottish heros so any of new ones would be cool to read about !
They were so brutal
That a horrible way to go out. But if you believe in something it’s better to die than conform to the new way I say.
I doubt he slept with Isabella the She-wolf as well. Regardless, he is still one of my favoritte historical figures.
I have never seen the movie Braveheart, but I do not watch many history movies for the fact they are almost always wrong. Some have bits and pieces that are right, but why get false information.
As much as I love historical movies, I really wish they were more historically accurate. It is really disappointing to see something and think it happened to later find out that it did not. Maybe someday?
what a terrible way to die!
It is tragic that movies are not historically accurate. For some people, this is the only taste of history that they have ever gotten, so the film industry should do their best to make sure it is accurate.
If you’re sacrificing historical accuracy just for extra action or drama, you’re not doing history any justice. It ends up miseducating a lot of people.
Hollywood dramatizes a lot just for a better rating, in reality, it never happened.
So cruel and a horrible way to go out!
They really did not grant him any mercy.
That would be a very horrible was to die. Just reading it made me cringe and actually want to throw up….so violent..
Being quartered by the raw power of a horse could possibly be the most gruesome way to be quartered.
What a horrifying way to die! I can’t even image!
they killed people in the most horrible ways
poor wallace! he was just fighting for what he thought was right! why were executions so gruesome back in the day!