HOW WILLIAM WALLACE BECAME A SCOTTISH HERO
“Wallace was charged with treason – in a trial that had no jury, nor opportunity for him to defend himself”
Today, William Wallace is an iconic freedom-fighting hero – but his deeds were largely forgotten for almost two centuries after his grisly execution in 1305. The legend of Wallace doesn’t come from contemporary accounts; in fact its foundation would not be built for nearly two centuries after his death. It first emerged from Harry the Minstrel’s late-15th century epic poem . While ‘Blind Harry’ made some wild claims – such as Wallace being seven feet tall –the romance proved so popular that it breathed new life into this symbol of resistance.
