Braveheart: Fact or Fiction

Braveheart

The film Braveheart, while rooted in fact, is largely comprised of historical inaccuracies and anachronisms that do little to tell the true story of William Wallace or his role in the Scottish Rebellion under King Edward I. While the inaccuracies contained within
Braveheart may taint the factuality of story, they do not underscore William Wallace’s importance to Scottish Rebellion or how he inspired a country to fight for their freedom.

The film Braveheart is set during the reign of Edward I of England, in the period where Scotland had come under the rule of England as a result of a dispute in the succession of the monarchy in Scotland. The king of Scotland, Alexander III, had died in 1286 leaving his ill-fated granddaughter, Margaret of Norway to the throne (Raban 139).

Her premature death in 1290 left two rival claimants to the throne of Scotland, Robert the Bruce and John Balliol (Raban 200). This dispute led William Fraser, Bishop of St.
Andrews, an...