WILLIAM WALLACE ,FREEDOM FIGHTER OF SCOTLAND EXECUTED 1305 AUGUST 23

WILLIAM WALLACE ,FREEDOM FIGHTER OF SCOTLAND EXECUTED 1305 AUGUST 23

வில்லியம் வேலசு (William Wallace) ஸ்காட்லாந்தின் விடுதலைக்காக இங்கிலாந்து அரசர் முதலாம் எட்வர்டை எதிர்த்துப் போரிட்ட மாவீரர் ஆவார்..[2]

1272 ஆம் ஆண்டு பிறந்த இவர் 23.08.1305 அன்று ஆங்கிலேயர்களால் மிகக் கொடூரமான முறையில் சித்திரவதை செய்யப்பட்டுக் கொல்லப்பட்டார்.

தோற்றம்[தொகு]
பரம்பரைக் கதைகள் வேலசை சாதாரண குடிமகனாகவும் இராபர்ட் புரூஸை உயர்குடியினராயும் காட்டுகின்றன. ஆனால் வேலசும் உயர்குடிப் பிறப்பினரே.

போராட்டம்[தொகு]
முதலாம் எட்வர்டு ஸ்காட்லாந்தின் முடியுடை அரசர் இங்கிலாந்தின் முடியரசரைத் தனக்கு மேலானவராக ஏற்று அவரின் கீழ் ஆட்சி நடத்தும் வரை ஸ்காட்லாந்துக்கு மன்னர் என்று ஒருவர் இருப்பார் என்றார். ஸ்காட்லாந்துப் பிரபுக்கள் அனைவரும் முதலாம் எட்வர்டு முன் அடிபணிய வேண்டிய இச் சூழலை விரும்பாத வேலசு துணிவுடன் எட்வர்டை எதிர்த்துப் பல போர்களில் இறங்கினார். அவை:

ஸ்டிர்லிங் பாலப் போர் - 11.09.1297 ஆம் ஆண்டு நடந்த இப் போரில் தந்திரத்துடன் செயல்பட்ட வேலசு பெரும் படையை வென்றார். ஆறு மாதங்கள் கழித்து, வேலசு வடக்கு இங்கிலாந்தை ஊடுருவினார். இதன் நோக்கம் ஆங்கிலேயர்களுக்கு ஸ்காட்லாந்தினரிடம் போதிய படைவலிமை உள்ளது என்பதை நீரூபிப்பதாகும்.

ஃபால்கிர்க் போர் - 01.04.1298 இல் நடந்த இப்போரில் எட்வர்டு வென்றாலும் வேலசு தப்பி விட்டார்.

விடுதலை வேள்வியில் உயிர் நீத்தது[தொகு]

13.08.1305 வரை எட்வர்டுக்கு விசுவாசமான ஒருவர் வேலசைக் காட்டிக்கொடுக்கும் வரை ஆங்கிலப் படைகளால் அவரைப் பிடிக்க இயலவில்லை. கிளாஸ்கோவுக்கு அருகில் பிடிக்கப்பட்ட வேலசு இலண்டனுக்கு எடுத்துச் செல்லப்பட்டார். அவர் மீது இராசத்துரோக வழக்கு தொடுக்கப்பட்டது. குற்ற விசாரணை வெஸ்ட்மின்ஸ்டர் அவையில் நடைபெற்றது. விசாரணையின் போது 'நான் இராசத்துரோகி அல்லன். ஏனெனில் நான் எட்வர்டுக்கு குடிமகனே அல்லன்!' என்று முழங்கினார். அவர் மீதான குற்றம் உறுதி செய்ய்ப்ட்டது. அவருக்கு இங்கிலாந்தில் வழங்கப்பட்ட தண்டனைகளிலேயே கொடூரமான தண்டனையான தூக்கிலிடல், குடலுருவல் மற்றும் நான்குதுண்டமாக்கல் எனும் தண்டனை வழங்கப்பட்டது.

23 ஆகஸ்டு 1305 இல் விசாரணை முடிந்த பின்னர் அவையில் இருந்து கொண்டுவரப்பட்ட வேலசு நிர்வாணமாய் குதிரையின் குளம்புகளில் கட்டப்பட்டு நகர வீதிகளில் இழுத்துவரப்பட்டார். அவர் சாகாத வகையில் தூக்கில் இடப்பட்டார். தூக்கில் இருந்து இறக்கப்பட்ட பின் அவர் கண்முன் அவர் வயிறு கிழிக்கப்பட்டது; ஆணுறுப்பு அறுக்கப்பட்டது. கிழிக்கப்பட்டதும் அறுக்கப்பட்டதும் அவர் கண்முன்னே எரிக்கப்பட்டன. கடைசியில் அவர் தலைவெட்டிக் கொல்லப்பட்டார். அவரின் உடல் நான்கு துண்டமாக்கப்பட்டது. தாரில் முக்கப்பட்ட அவரது தலை மற்றவர்களை எச்சரிக்கும் பொருட்டு இலண்டன் பாலத்தில் காட்சிக்கு வைக்கப்பட்டது..[3] உடலின் நான்கு பாகங்கள் நான்கு ‌வெவ்வேறு நகரங்களில் காட்சிப்படுத்தப்பட்டன.

பரவலர் ஊடகங்களில்[தொகு]
பிரேவ் ஹார்ட் (Braveheart) எனும் ஹாலிவுட் திரைப்படம் வேலசின் வாழ்வை அடிப்படையாக வைத்து எடுக்கப்பட்டது

Sir William Wallace (Scottish Gaelic: Uilleam Uallas, pronounced [ˈɯʎam ˈuəl̪ˠəs̪]; Norman French: William le Waleys;[3] c. 1270 – 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence.[4]

Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in September 1297. He was appointed Guardian of Scotland and served until his defeat at the Battle of Falkirk in July 1298. In August 1305, Wallace was captured in Robroyston, near Glasgow, and handed over to King Edward I of England, who had him hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason and crimes against English civilians.

Since his death, Wallace has obtained an iconic status far beyond his homeland. He is the protagonist of Blind Harry's 15th-century epic poem The Wallace and the subject of literary works by Sir Walter Scott and Jane Porter, and of the Academy Award-winning film Braveheart.

He was first cousin to Roger de Kirkpatrick.[5] Roger himself was a third cousin to Robert the Bruce.
Background

Personal seal of Sir William Wallace, found on a letter written on 11 October 1297, to the mayor of Lübeck, Germany.



       Statue of Wallace at Edinburgh Castle

William Wallace was a member of the lesser nobility, but little is definitely known of his family history or even his parentage. Blind Harry's late-15th-century poem gives his father as Sir Malcolm of Elderslie; however, William's own seal, found on a letter sent to the Hanse city of Lübeck in 1297,[6] gives his father's name as Alan Wallace.[7][8] This Alan Wallace may be the same as the one listed in the 1296 Ragman Rolls as a crown tenant in Ayrshire, but there is no additional confirmation.[9] Blind Harry's assertion that William was the son of Sir Malcolm of Elderslie has given rise to a tradition that William's birthplace was at Elderslie in Renfrewshire, and this is still the view of some historians,[10] including the historical William Wallace Society itself.[11] However, William's seal has given rise to a counterclaim of Ellerslie in Ayrshire. There is no contemporary evidence linking him with either location, although both areas had connections with the wider Wallace family.[12] Records show early members of the family as holding estates at Riccarton, Tarbolton, and Auchincruive in Kyle, and Stenton in East Lothian.[13] They were vassals of James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland as their lands fell within his territory. Wallace's brothers Malcolm and John are known from other sources.[14]

The origins of the Wallace surname and its association with southwest Scotland are also far from certain, other than the name's being derived from the Old English wylisc (pronounced "wullish"), meaning "foreigner" or "Welshman".[15] It is possible that all the Wallaces in the Clyde area were medieval immigrants from Wales, but as the term was also used for the Cumbric-speaking Strathclyde kingdom of the Celtic Britons, it seems equally likely that the surname refers to people who were seen as being "Welsh" due to their Cumbric language.[16][17]

Marriage
The identity of Wallace's wife is not known for certain. He apparently fell in love with and married a young woman named Marion Braidfute.[18][19] Wallace's violent assassination of the High Sheriff of Lanark was carried out as revenge for the killing of his wife according to Blind Harry's 15th century poem.[20][21]

Political crisis in Scotland
Main article: Competitors for the Crown of Scotland

Coronation of Alexander
When Wallace was growing up, King Alexander III ruled Scotland. His reign had seen a period of peace and economic stability. On 19 March 1286, however, Alexander died after falling from his horse.[22]

The heir to the throne was Alexander's granddaughter, Margaret, Maid of Norway. As she was still a child and in Norway, the Scottish lords set up a government of guardians. Margaret fell ill on the voyage to Scotland and died in Orkney in late September 1290.[23] The lack of a clear heir led to a period known as the "Great Cause", with a total of thirteen contenders laying claim to the throne. Those with the most credible claims were John Balliol, Robert Bruce, John Hastings, and Floris V, Count of Holland.[citation needed]

With Scotland threatening to descend into civil war, King Edward I of England was invited in by the Scottish nobility to arbitrate. Before the process could begin, he insisted that all of the contenders recognise him as Lord Paramount of Scotland. In early November 1292, at a great feudal court held in the castle at Berwick-upon-Tweed, judgment was given in favour of John Balliol having the strongest claim in law based on being senior in genealogical primogeniture even though not in proximity of blood. [24]

Edward proceeded to take steps to progressively undermine John's authority, treating Scotland as a feudal vassal state, demanding homage be paid towards himself and military support in his war against France — even summoning King John Balliol to stand before the English court as a common plaintiff. The Scots soon tired of their deeply compromised king, and the direction of affairs was allegedly taken out of his hands by the leading men of the kingdom, who appointed a Council of Twelve—in practice, a new panel of Guardians—at Stirling in July 1295. They went on to conclude a treaty of mutual assistance with France—known in later years as the Auld Alliance.[25]

In retaliation for Scotland's treaty with France, Edward I invaded, storming Berwick-upon-Tweed and commencing the Wars of Scottish Independence. The Scots were defeated at Dunbar and the English took Dunbar Castle on 27 April 1296.[26] Edward forced John to abdicate, which he did at Stracathro near Montrose on 10 July 1296.[27] Here the arms of Scotland were formally torn from John's surcoat, giving him the abiding name of "Toom Tabard" (empty coat).[a] By July, Edward had instructed his officers to receive formal homage from some 1,800 Scottish nobles (many of the rest being prisoners of war at that time).[28]

Silent years prior to the Wars of Independence

Wallace depicted in a children's history book from 1906


Some historians believe Wallace must have had some earlier military experience in order to lead a successful military campaign in 1297. Campaigns like Edward I of England's wars in Wales might have provided a good opportunity for a younger son of a landholder to become a mercenary soldier.[29][page needed] Wallace's personal seal bears the archer's insignia,[30] so he may have fought as an archer in Edward's army.

Walter Bower states that Wallace was "a tall man with the body of a giant ... with lengthy flanks ... broad in the hips, with strong arms and legs ... with all his limbs very strong and firm".[31] Blind Harry's Wallace reaches seven feet.[32]

Start of the uprising

Wallace statue by D. W. Stevenson on the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh

The first act definitely known to have been carried out by Wallace was his murder of William de Heselrig, the English High Sheriff of Lanark, in May 1297. He then joined with William the Hardy, Lord of Douglas, and they carried out the raid of Scone. This was one of several rebellions taking place across Scotland, including those of several Scottish nobles and Andrew Moray in the north.[33]

The uprising suffered a blow when the nobles submitted to the English at Irvine in July. Wallace and Moray were not involved, and continued their rebellions. Wallace used the Ettrick Forest as a base for raiding, and attacked Wishart's palace at Ancrum. Wallace and Moray met and joined their forces, possibly at the siege of Dundee in early September.[34]

Battle of Stirling Bridge
Main article: Battle of Stirling Bridge

The later Stirling Bridge
On 11 September 1297, an army jointly led by Wallace and Andrew Moray won the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Although vastly outnumbered, the Scottish army routed the English army. John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey's feudal army of 3,000 cavalry and 8,000 to 10,000 infantry met disaster as they crossed over to the north side of the river. The narrowness of the bridge prevented many soldiers from crossing together (possibly as few as three men abreast), so, while the English soldiers crossed, the Scots held back until half of them had passed and then killed the English as quickly as they could cross.[35] The infantry were sent on first, followed by heavy cavalry. The Scots' schiltron formations forced the infantry back into the advancing cavalry. A pivotal charge, led by one of Wallace's captains, caused some of the English soldiers to retreat as others pushed forward, and under the overwhelming weight, the bridge collapsed and many English soldiers drowned. Thus, the Scots won a significant victory, boosting the confidence of their army. Hugh Cressingham, Edward's treasurer in Scotland, died in the fighting and it is reputed that his body was subsequently flayed and the skin cut into small pieces as tokens of the victory. The Lanercost Chronicle records that Wallace had "a broad strip [of Cressingham's skin] ... taken from the head to the heel, to make therewith a baldrick for his sword".[36][37]

After the battle, Moray and Wallace assumed the title of Guardians of the Kingdom of Scotland on behalf of King John Balliol. Moray died of wounds suffered on the battlefield sometime in late 1297.[37]

The type of engagement conducted by Wallace was characterised by opportunistic tactics and the strategic use of terrain. This was in stark contrast to the contemporary views on chivalric warfare which were characterised by strength of arms and knightly combat.[citation needed]

Around November 1297, Wallace led a large-scale raid into northern England, through Northumberland and Cumberland.[38]

In a ceremony, at the 'Kirk o' the Forest' (Selkirk), towards the end of the year, Wallace was knighted.[39] This would have been carried out by one of three Scottish earls—Carrick, Strathearn or Lennox.[40][41][42][page needed]

Battle of Falkirk
Main article: Battle of Falkirk

William Wallace Statue, Aberdeen
In April 1298, Edward ordered a second invasion of Scotland. Two days prior to the battle 25,781 foot soldiers were paid. More than half of them would have been Welsh. There are no clear cut sources for the presence of cavalry, but it is safe to assume that Edward had roughly 1500 horse under his command.[43] They plundered Lothian and regained some castles, but failed to bring William Wallace to combat; the Scots shadowed the English army, intending to avoid battle until shortages of supplies and money forced Edward to withdraw, at which point the Scots would harass his retreat. The English quartermasters' failure to prepare for the expedition left morale and food supplies low, and a resulting riot within Edward's own army had to be put down by his cavalry. In July, while planning a return to Edinburgh for supplies, Edward received intelligence that the Scots were encamped nearby at Falkirk, and he moved quickly to engage them in the pitched battle he had long hoped for.[44][45]

Wallace arranged his spearmen in four schiltrons—circular, defensive hedgehog formations, probably surrounded by wooden stakes connected with ropes, to keep the infantry in formation. The English, however, employed Welsh longbowmen, who swung tactical superiority in their favour. The English proceeded to attack with cavalry and put the Scottish archers to flight. The Scottish cavalry withdrew as well, due to its inferiority to the English heavy horses. Edward's men began to attack the schiltrons, which were still able to inflict heavy casualties on the English cavalry. It remains unclear whether the infantry shooting bolts, arrows, and stones at the spearmen proved the deciding factor, although it is very likely that it was the arrows of Edward's bowmen. Gaps in the schiltrons soon appeared, and the English exploited these to crush the remaining resistance. The Scots lost many men, including John de Graham. Wallace escaped, though his military reputation suffered badly.[44][45]

By September 1298, Wallace resigned as Guardian of Scotland in favour of Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick and future king, and John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, King John Balliol's nephew.[46][45]

Details of Wallace's activities after this are vague, but there is some evidence that he left on a mission to the court of King Philip IV of France to plead the case for assistance in the Scottish struggle for independence. There is a surviving letter from the French king dated 7 November 1300 to his envoys in Rome demanding that they should help Sir William.[47] It also suggests that Wallace may have intended to travel to Rome, although it is not known if he did.[48] There is also a report from an English spy at a meeting of Scottish leaders, where they said Wallace was in France.[49]

By 1304 Wallace was back in Scotland, and involved in skirmishes at Happrew and Earnside.[45]

Capture and execution

Wallace's trial in Westminster Hall. Painting by Daniel Maclise

Wallace evaded capture by the English until 5 August 1305 when John de Menteith, a Scottish knight loyal to Edward, turned Wallace over to English soldiers at Robroyston near Glasgow. (The site is commemorated by a small monument in the form of a Celtic cross.) Letters of safe conduct from Haakon V of Norway, Philip IV of France, and John Balliol, along with other documents, were found in Wallace's possession and delivered to Edward by John de Segrave.[50]

Wallace was transported to London, lodged in the house of William de Leyrer, then taken to Westminster Hall, where he was tried for treason and for atrocities against civilians in war, "sparing neither age nor sex, monk nor nun." He was crowned with a garland of oak to suggest he was the king of outlaws. He responded to the treason charge, "I could not be a traitor to Edward, for I was never his subject."[51][52]


Plaque marking the place of Wallace's execution

Following the trial, on 23 August 1305, Wallace was taken from the hall to the Tower of London, then stripped naked and dragged through the city at the heels of a horse to the Elms at Smithfield.[53] He was hanged, drawn and quartered—strangled by hanging, but released while he was still alive, emasculated, eviscerated and his bowels burned before him, beheaded, then cut into four parts.[54] His preserved head (dipped in tar) was placed on a pike atop London Bridge. It was later joined by the heads of the brothers, John and Simon Fraser. His limbs were displayed, separately, in Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling, and Perth. A plaque unveiled 8 April 1956, stands in a wall of St. Bartholomew's Hospital near the site of Wallace's execution at Smithfield. It includes in Latin the words "Dico tibi verum libertas optima rerum nunquam servili sub nexu vivito fili" (I tell you the truth. Freedom is what is best. Sons, never live life like slaves.), and in Gaelic "Bas Agus Buaidh" (Death and Victory), an old Scottish battle cry.[55]

In 1869 the Wallace Monument was erected, very close to the site of his victory at Stirling Bridge. The Wallace Sword, which supposedly belonged to Wallace, although some parts were made at least 160 years later, was held for many years in Dumbarton Castle and is now in the Wallace Monument.[56]

In popular culture
Film
A well-known account of Wallace's life is presented in the film Braveheart (1995), directed by and starring Mel Gibson as Wallace, written by Randall Wallace, and filmed in Scotland and Ireland. The film was criticised for inaccuracies regarding Wallace's title, love interests, and attire.[57]
In the film Outlaw King (2018), Robert the Bruce is prompted to plan a revolt against the English after observing rioting induced by the public display of the quartered body of Wallace.[citation needed]
Literature
In 1793 Robert Burns wrote the lyrics to Scots Wha Hae wi Wallace bled.[58]
In the early 19th century, Walter Scott wrote of Wallace in his short essay Exploits and Death of William Wallace, the "Hero of Scotland".[59]
Jane Porter penned a romantic version of the Wallace legend in the historical novel The Scottish Chiefs (1810).[60]
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
'Wallace's Invocation to Bruce', a poem by Felicia Hemans.
In her prize-winning poem of 1819, Wallace's Invocation to Bruce, Felicia Hemans imagines Wallace urging Bruce to continue the struggle for freedom after defeat at the Battle of Falkirk.
G. A. Henty wrote a novel about this time period titled In Freedom's Cause: A Story of Wallace and Bruce (1885). Henty, a producer of and writer for the Boy's Own Paper story paper, portrays the life of William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, The Black Douglas, and others, while dovetailing the events of his novel with historical fiction.[61]
Nigel Tranter wrote a historical novel titled The Wallace (1975), "admirably free of anything to do with Braveheart".[62]
The Temple and the Stone (1998), a novel by Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris, includes a storyline creating a fictional connection between Wallace and Templar Knights.[63]
Gaming
Wallace is the subject and protagonist of the tutorial campaign in realtime strategy game Age of Empires II.[citation needed]
Wallace is the protagonist of the Britain campaign in realtime strategy game Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms.[citation needed]
Beer
A number of beers are named for Wallace. A brewery in Bridge of Allan, Scotland, makes a Scottish ale named "William Wallace", and Scottish Maclays Brewery had a beer called "Wallace".[64]