The Wallace Book

Exploring the life of a man who for 700 years has been revered as the consummate, incomparable Scottish hero, this study examines how the legend of William Wallace—an ingenious and capable man who initiated a resistance movement that ultimately secured the nation’s freedom and independence—overtook historical reality, a process which has continued for centuries as manifested in modern media and film. Here, a team of leading historians and critics from both Scotland and England investigate what is known of the medieval warrior’s career from contemporary sources, most of which were actually created by his enemies. Showing how he was perhaps too dangerous for his own era, as Wallace was reviled, opposed, and eventually betrayed, this book discusses how he was later viewed differently by various generations of Scots, primarily as the archetypal Scot who would teach kings and nobles where their duties should lie and who would live free or freely die for the liberty of his nation.