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Mar 12, 2019 · The name William Wallace, once known only by those who had studied Scottish history, became a household name the world over after Mel Gibson’s Oscar-winning movie Braveheart was released in 1996. As gripping and entertaining as the film was, though, it was not particularly historically accurate.
Oct 5, 2019 · The movie Braveheart narrated the story of William Wallace, a Scottish patriot who fought against the English for his country's independence. Read about 10 things the movie got right, and ten things it got wrong
Jan 24, 2021 · This year’s greatest blast from the past, Braveheart. The cult classic is over 25 years old now. If you didn’t feel old enough already. It is the glorious tale of William Wallace and his ...
One of the most common questions I'm asked is how factual Mel Gibson's portrayal of William Wallace was in the 1995 film Braveheart. The short answer is that is hasn't an iota of fact in it. The long answer appears below.
- The Name!
- Wallace’s Childhood
- Wallace’s Wife
- Jus Primae Noctis
- The Dress Sense
- The Weapons
- The Blue Face Paint
- The Battle of Stirling Bridge
- The Battle of Falkirk
- Sir John de Graham
First off, the name of the film is Braveheart and the film is about William Wallace. Your average viewer would assume that Wallace himself was known as Braveheart. Unfortunately, if anybody is the “real” Braveheart then that would be King Robert the Bruce. After Robert died, his friend James Douglas took the King’s heart on crusade to honour his dy...
This is one thing we know very little about. The film portrays Wallace and his family as poor farmers living in a Highland glen. In reality, Wallace was the son of a minor nobleman, born in either Ellerslie or Elderslie in the Southwest of Scotland. The idea of his father and brother heading off to fight the occupying English while William was just...
If we give Blind Harry the benefit of the doubt then Wallace was indeed married. His wife was called Marion Braidfute but this was deliberately changed for the film to avoid any confusion with Robin Hood. While Marion’s murder didn’t start Wallace’s trouble with the English, it did allegedly draw things to a head. The story is that she was killed b...
The idea that King Edward of England introduced a law that meant nobles could sleep with their female subjects on their wedding night is a ridiculous myth. There are doubts that it happened anywhere in the world, but it certainly didn’t happen in Scotland.
Pretty short and sweet – while a form of tartan did exist back then, it didn’t look like this. The belted plaid that Mel Gibson and his pals wear didn’t come around until few hundred years later. On the other side, the English soldiers wouldn’t have been wearing matching royal uniforms either.
Wallace’s idea in the film to make big spears, twice as long as a man is actually very accurate. The Scots main tactic was to use incredibly long spears in tightly packed schiltron formations, and it worked to great effect. Also, the English army really did rely heavily on their cavalry and archers although the longbowmen are downplayed in the film...
Yes, it looks good in the film. No, it’s not accurate in any way. The idea comes from blue paint or swirling tattoos that some tribes living in Scotland allegedly wore into battle against the Romans. This was what earned themselves the Roman name Picti or painted people. Braveheart is around 1000 years too late for that.
Where was the bridge?! Of all the problems with Braveheart, this is the only one that I would declare as completely unforgiveable. Wallace’s most famous victory was achieved by waiting for just the right amount of the English army to cross the narrow bridge and then charging before they could form up. The English were caught completely unawares and...
Unlike in Braveheart, Wallace hadn’t really gone looking for a fight when Falkirk came around. He had been carefully avoiding battle when caught by an army led by King Edward. The Irish mutiny, while a funny moment in the film, just didn’t happen. The Scots stood in their tightly packed, hedgehog-like schiltrons defending a few unsuccessful charges...
Another odd omission from Braveheart is Wallace’s close friend Sir John de Graham of the Bright Sword. The film creates a great friendship with the fictional character Hamish, so it surprises me that Wallace’s real right hand man didn’t feature. Sir John died at the Battle of Falkirk and would even have been the perfect tragedy for a Hollywood film...
Dec 3, 2023 · Braveheart is one of the least historically accurate movies ever made, drawing upon a fictional account of William Wallace's life. The film misattributes the title "Braveheart" to William Wallace, when it is actually associated with Robert the Bruce and his heart's final act in battle.
The true story of William Wallace is uncovered in this documentary from Tony Robinson. One of Scotland's greatest national heroes and the chief inspiration f...
- 48 min
- 60.7K
- Chronicle - Medieval History Documentaries
