![]() The Scottish cavalry did indeed desert during that unexpected conflict, but there's no evidence the nobles were bribed rather, it's likely they were demoralized, and simply abandoned the battle rather than face inevitable defeat. The Battle of Falkirk is more interesting, however, with some of the details in Braveheart matching up. ![]() That particular figure never even appears in Braveheart. Ironically, this wasn't Wallace's strategy it's credited to Andrew de Moray, another Scottish military leader who died shortly after the Battle of Stirling Bridge. The bridge served as something of a funnel, neutralizing the superior numbers. Wallace's army was positioned at one side of a bridge, with the English forced to stampede across it. In the real world, the genius of William Wallace's tactics lay not in the use of long spears-a common tactic-but rather in the choice of battlefield. The most egregious is the Battle of Stirling Bridge for one thing, there's no sign of a bridge in the film. The Wallace Sword may not be genuine, but it is of huge symbolic importance.īraveheart even gets its battles wrong. This is the first time the sword is known to have been associated with the Scottish hero - was the soldier deliberately telling a tale for these English visitors?" In truth, though, this particular element of historical inaccuracy is entirely understandable. One of the soldiers in the garrison told them it was Wallace's. This sword was seen at Dumbarton Castle by the famous poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy when they toured Scotland in 1803. As historian David Caldwell told the BBC, " The so-called Wallace Sword is actually a type of Scottish sword that dates to the late 16th century. Wallace would never have worn blue face-paint it's associated with the Picti, and would have fallen out of fashion roughly 1,000 years before his time.Įven William Wallace's legendary blade is wrong, albeit inspired by the Wallace Sword that's on display in the National Wallace Monument in Stirling. English soldiers wouldn't have worn the kind of standardized uniforms seen in Mel Gibson's Braveheart for centuries, while the Scots' kilts are equally ahistorical. William Wallace: Every man dies, not every man truly lives.Braveheart is no more historically accurate when it comes to portraying the clothing and weapons of either the Scots or the English. Do it not, and every one of you will die today. William Wallace: Lower your flags and march straight back to England, stopping at every home you pass by to beg forgiveness for a hundred years of theft, rape, and murder. William Wallace: Before we let you leave, your commander must cross that field, present himself before this army, put his head between his legs, and kiss his own arse. ![]() Your son will not sit long on the throne. A child who is not of your line grows in my belly. But before it comes to you, know this: your blood dies with you. Queen Isabella: You see? Death comes to us all. Robert the Bruce: My hate will die with you. Robert's Father: At last, you know what it means to hate. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom. You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. William Wallace: There's a difference between us. Magistrate: The prisoner wishes to say a word. William Wallace: We all end up dead, it's just a question of how and why. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take. William Wallace: Aye, fight and you may die. Photo: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images Mel Gibson on the set of his movie Braveheart.
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