| In 1270, William Wallace, one of the greatest
heroes in Scottish history was born in Ayrshire.
He was born to Sir Malcolm Wallace, the Laird of Ederslie and Auchinbothie.
Because he was not the eldest child, he was not able to inherit from
his father. He spent his early life with his uncle, a priest in Dunipace.
As a child he enjoyed activities such as martial arts, horsemanship,
and swordsmanship. When Wallace was 16, Alexander III, died and his
only direct relation was his granddaughter Margaret, Maid of Norway,
who was only four; she was named queen under a regent. At the age
of eight, she was expected to marry the son of the King of England,
but on the voyage to England she died. At this opportunity, England wanted to rule over Scotland, so Edward II sent armies to fight. One of the English guards wanted to rape Wallace's wife, but she struggled against him, but lost her life in the process. He fought many battles, and helped lead armies that helped Scotland greatly. While William was in a small battle in the village of Ayr he killed several men, but was overpowered and put in a dungeon to starve. Although he was left there to die, a few villagers were successful in releasing him. He gathered a few villagers to help him fight against the English. His support grew and he was able to plan more attacks. In May of 1297 he gathered over 30 men and, fighting in honor of his father's death, he ambushed and killed the knight who killed his father. This attack allowed him to earn the title of militia leader and a lot of respect from Scotland's citizens, but also the hate of King Edward. By 1297 most of Scotland was back in Scottish rule, but William wanted to finish off his job and recapture the few English cities that remained in Scotland. Along with his co-leader, Sir Andrew de Moray, they planned to capture Stirling Castle. Although the English army greatly outnumbered William Wallace's, the Scottish Army had an advantage because John de Warenne and his English Army had to cross a bridge, and this allowed the Scottish army to prevail in one of their largest massacres. On July 22, 1298 King Edward's 90,000 men army invaded Scotland. The English army not only had the advantage of more men, but also a technological advantage. Almost 10,000 Scots were killed, and even though Scotland did not completely capture Scotland, William's reputation as a militia leader was ruined. After this attack, he resigned his position, and Robert the Bruce took his place. On Aug. 5, 1305, a Scottish knight betrayed William Wallace, and he was arrested near Glasgow. On the 23rd of August, the same year, he was executed. |