William Wallace's Use of Scorched Earth Tactics During the First Scottish War of Independence
Channel: Insight History Clips
Date: 2020-10-01

The Epic Life and Brutal Death of William Wallace, Scotland’s Greatest Freedom Fighter - On the 23rd of August, 1305, Scotland’s greatest freedom fighter, William Wallace, was tried for treason in a kangaroo court in London. He was prohibited from speaking in his own defence, and was only present to hear the charges against him and his punishment. Wallace did manage to interject that he was not a traitor as he had never sworn allegiance to the English King, Edward I, although this made no difference to his fate. He was given one of the most brutal death sentences in history, as Edward tried to make an example out of the iconic Scottish figure. Yet how did Wallace find himself in this position? To answer this question, we need to rewind 35 years…

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Wallace was born in either Renfrewshire or Ayrshire around 1270 AD, into a family of some position in society. Although little is known about Wallace’s early life, a seal from 1297 depicts him as an archer and the son of Alan Wallace, who owned land in Ayrshire. By the time Wallace was in his 20s, the tensions between Scotland and England had reached breaking point. In 1296, Edward exploited a succession crisis in Scotland – which had dated all the way back to the death of King Alexander III of Scotland in 1286 - by invading his northern neighbour and placing English officials in charge of Scotland. John Balliol, who had been King of Scots since 1292, ironically after Edward had chosen him to rule Scotland in 1292, was then overthrown and imprisoned by Edward in 1296, after he defied the wishes of the English king, sparking the First Scottish War of Independence. 

Wallace reveals himself to history again in May 1297, when he led an uprising in the Scottish town of Lanark, murdering the English Sheriff of Lanark, William Heselrig. This was potentially an act of revenge against Heselrig’s mistreatment of Wallace’s lover, although other historians argue that this was merely part of a wider Scottish rebellion against English rule. Regardless of the reason, Wallace’s actions at Lanark gained him supporters and allies, with Wallace going on to led successful campaigns against English rule in Fife and Perthshire. 

Wallace’s most successful victory came a few months later however, at Stirling Bridge, when he joined forces with Andrew Murray, also known as Andrew de Moray, who had led campaigns in the north against English forces. Before the battle even began, Wallace and Murray demonstrated their strategic prowess by placing their army on a hill called the Abbey Craig, north of the river forth, where Wallace Monument stands today. This left the approaching English army only one point at which to cross the river, Stirling Bridge, which was so narrow that only two horsemen could cross side-by-side. On the 11th of September, 1297, the English army began to slowly cross the bridge... 

Sources:

BBC History. William Wallace (c. 1270 - 1305) http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic....
BBC News (12 Jan. 2012) William Wallace letter returns to Scotland https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan... 
Fisher, A. (Sep. 2005) The Hunt for William Wallace, History Today, 55:9). https://www.historytoday.com/archive/.... 
Reid, N. (1982). The Kingless Kingdom: The Scottish Guardianships of 1286-1306. The Scottish Historical Review, 61(172), 105-129.
Stirling Council, William Wallace https://www.stirling.gov.uk/tourism-v... 
The National Wallace Monument. Sir William Wallace, Guardian of Scotland https://www.nationalwallacemonument.c...
The Scotsman (The Newsroom) (23 August, 2016) On this day 1305: William Wallace hanged, drawn and quartered https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/art...