William Wallace

William Wallace was a Scottish hero who stopped the English invaders. He helped all of Scotland to gain independence. William Wallace was born in 1270 in Elderslie, Renfrewshire, Scotland. As you can tell from the date of his birth, he lived a long time ago in the 13th century. William Wallace completed school in Dundee, Scotland.

He was the second of two brothers, Malcolm and John. His father's name was Sir Malcolm Wallace of Elderslie in Paisley. His father was a descendant of Richard Wallace, who came to Scotland to serve in the royal household of King David I. William Wallace was married to Marion Braidfute. William Wallace was trained to be a soldier. He killed the son of an English nobleman and this was believed to have happened in between 1291-1292. The exact date is not known.

William Wallace and the Scottish army had to overcome many obstacles, the English had a larger number of soldiers and a stronger force. He fought back and won a few battles, but the exact number is not known. He had a strong character, commanded a large army and he followed his cause for ten years.

At the battle of Sterling Bridge in 1297, the Scottish army led by William Wallace defeated the English army. On July 22nd, 1297 the Scots were defeated. Many people had died. The English drove away the archers and the mounted knights but they couldn't break the pikemen. Pikemen are soldier who fight with spears. Finally, the pikemen were destroyed by the archers.

The defeat of the English army at the Battle of Stirling slowed the English raids a bit. It was because of this victory that William Wallace and his followers were able to gain Scotland's independence. After William Wallace's execution, Robert the Bruce was able to gain the country's independence at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.