William Wallace

When we hear the name William Wallace, we think of the movie Braveheart. We think of Mel Gibson leading hundreds of Scotsmen and killing the English invaders. And while many of the things that he did in the movie actually happened, it does not really tell the whole tale. It does not really talk of the struggle or the desperation of the Scots during those years, but it does tell of the hope that they had and their willingness to fight that continues to inspire people to this day.

Now, we all have different definitions of what makes a hero. Heroes can be many things to us and people who we look up to. They can change at a moments notice sometimes (they do for me). If I was to list the ways that I think that William Wallace is a hero, here is how it would go: He fought for his country's freedom. He did not think so much of himself and thought more about how the English were hurting his country and his people. Another part of him being a hero was the fact that he was willing to risk his own life and property in his search of justice. He also never gave up, even after he was drawn and quartered. His death only made people believe even more in his cause.

William Wallace really did what no noble in Scotland was willing to do at the time and that was to stand up to the English crown. He was not one to back down and he took the fight right to the enemy. The way that he fought the English was fierce and brutal, but he was fighting an enemy who did not think that the Scots were real people. His biggest challenge was the fact that his own people were not 100% with him. Many nobles were in the pockets of the English and they would eventually betray them, sending him to his death. He was looking at impossible odds by fighting the English (one of the best armies in the world) and still keeping a divided Scotland alive.

He continued his fighting for many, many years. His most famous battle is the Battle of Sterling where he dealt the English the worst blow (in my opinion) of the entire war for freedom. While that battle forced the English out of Scotland for a short time, the victory was short-lived and the English came back soon after and began to retake Scotland.

William Wallace is important to me because he fought with and lead a great resistance movement against invaders. He never gave up on his hope that in his lifetime Scotland would be free. Even though he did not succeed, in the end he left a legacy that rivals most heroes. The ideas that he fought for continue to be sought after and people still die trying to protect their nations or peoples from invasion. I am an American Scot and I am proud to have someone so noble as part of my heritage. There are not many people I know who can say that.