William Wallace
William Wallace: the Man, the Myth, the Legend
William Wallace is said to be Scotland 's greatest hero. For this statement, their have been countless legends and myths written about him. Some of these have some fact to them, others do not. One fact that we do know is that he led the Scottish in their struggle to free themselves from England near the end of the Thirteenth century. Though William Wallace 's life was not long compared to today 's standards, living until 35, he led a life in which few can relate to or be compared with. His legacy has lived on through movies, books, and plays, each telling the story a little different. Though no one knows what truly happened during his life, partly due to the fear he struck in English writers, he was a great warrior of Scotland and natural born leader. Even though accurate representations of his life are available, one thing is for sure; Sir William Wallace is the greatest hero Scotland has ever seen and one of the greatest heroes of the world. William Wallace was born around the year 1270. He was one of three sons had by his father Sir Malcolm Wallace and his mother whose name is not actually known, but is believed to be the daughter of Sir Hugh Crawford, Sheriff of Ayr. William had two brothers, William 's younger brothers ' name was John and his older brother 's name was Malcolm. Malcolm 's name was taken from their father, which unfortunately for William being a second son gave him none of his father 's land or titles later in life. As a child William lived with his uncle, a priest, in a town called Dunipace. While William and his younger brother John lived peaceful lives in the country, they also practiced the martial arts of the time, including swordsmanship and horsemanship. These skills of course would later help him in his conquest to free Scotland. By the age of sixteen, William was preparing to follow his uncle 's footsteps and go into the priesthood. In these times this was very common, the
William Wallace is said to be Scotland 's greatest hero. For this statement, their have been countless legends and myths written about him. Some of these have some fact to them, others do not. One fact that we do know is that he led the Scottish in their struggle to free themselves from England near the end of the Thirteenth century. Though William Wallace 's life was not long compared to today 's standards, living until 35, he led a life in which few can relate to or be compared with. His legacy has lived on through movies, books, and plays, each telling the story a little different. Though no one knows what truly happened during his life, partly due to the fear he struck in English writers, he was a great warrior of Scotland and natural born leader. Even though accurate representations of his life are available, one thing is for sure; Sir William Wallace is the greatest hero Scotland has ever seen and one of the greatest heroes of the world. William Wallace was born around the year 1270. He was one of three sons had by his father Sir Malcolm Wallace and his mother whose name is not actually known, but is believed to be the daughter of Sir Hugh Crawford, Sheriff of Ayr. William had two brothers, William 's younger brothers ' name was John and his older brother 's name was Malcolm. Malcolm 's name was taken from their father, which unfortunately for William being a second son gave him none of his father 's land or titles later in life. As a child William lived with his uncle, a priest, in a town called Dunipace. While William and his younger brother John lived peaceful lives in the country, they also practiced the martial arts of the time, including swordsmanship and horsemanship. These skills of course would later help him in his conquest to free Scotland. By the age of sixteen, William was preparing to follow his uncle 's footsteps and go into the priesthood. In these times this was very common, the
References: 1. Fisher, Andrew "William Wallace", Copyright Birlinn Publishing, April 1, 2002 2. www.highlanderweb.com.uk/wallace, "The Truth" , Copyright Highlander Web Magazine, 1998 3. http://www.waichung.demon.co.uk/william/wallace.htm, "From Outlaw to Guardian of Scotland", Copyright Kyn Wai Chung, 1998 4. http://www.clanmcalister.org/wallace.html, "Sir William Wallace", Copyright © 2001 Clan McAlister of America 5. MacKay, James "William Wallace: Brave Heart", Copyright James A. Mackay, May 1, 1996 6. http://www.electricscotland.com/history/wallace.htm, "Sir William Wallace", Roy Campbell,