Post by Elly on Jun 6, 2005 19:06:47 GMT 10
BRAVEHEART - THE MOVIE
AN ASSESSMENT.
By John J. G. McGill. FSA.(Scot).
1st June 2001.
BACKGROUND NOTE.
1 - Sir William Wallace was born at Ellerslie in Ayrshire on August 5th 1270. He died a martyr's death at Smithfield Elms in London on August 23rd 1305 on the orders of Edward 1st of England.
His mother was the Lady Margaret Craufuird of Loudoun Castle in Galston Ayrshire who was married to his father Sir Malcolm Wallace of Riccarton near Kilmarnock in Ayrshire.
Sir William Wallace is credited with the fatherhood of Scotland’s nationality and is our greatest hero.
THE MOVIE.
2 - Braveheart, the movie, is a film made to entertain, not to educate. It takes a few historic characters with a few historic happenings and weaves a story around Braveheart (Sir William Wallace) not necessarily in the correct chronological order and often out of historic context. The movie is set correctly in 13th and 14th century Scotland.
The use of Tartan in the costumes is historically incorrect. Tartan was not invented until the late 18th century by Sir Walter Scott as a means to help reduce unemployment at that time by creating jobs.
3 - The opening scene depicts Sir Malcolm Wallace in the Scottish Highlands on horseback dressed in a kind of rough homespun clothing and a kind of kilt. The location should have been in the Ayrshire hills and as a knight of the realm of Scotland he would have been much better dressed in light mail, leathers and a cloak. His horse would have been equally protected.
The young William is portrayed like an urchin when in fact as the son of a knight he would have been suitably dressed in leathers and a small cloak and would also have been on horseback.
4 - The opening scene should have depicted a tower house not a hovel. The murders of the Cunninghams are historically correct but they took place at Carleith Tower near the Killoch Burn near Auchencloigh in East Ayrshire but they occurred when William Wallace was 25 years old and it was he and his companions who found the bodies strung up not his father Malcolm as portrayed in the film.
5 - The film shows Wallace as a very young boy attending his father’s funeral. In fact Wallace was about 24 years old when his father was killed in battle at Loudoun Hill in Ayrshire.
6 - When Wallace was a young boy of nine years he was at primary school some fifty miles north from Riccarton at a place called Dunnipace near Stirling. After that he went to Dundee to receive his secondary education at St Mary’s vicarage remaining there until he was sixteen years old.
7 - According to the film Wallace’s mother is already dead when his father was killed. In fact Wallace buried his mother at Dunfermline Abbey when he was 27/28 years old, about four years after the death of his father.
The previous seven points cover the first twenty minutes of Braveheart the movie.
8 - The scene switches to London. The court of Edward 1st is speculative although the prima nuptia was a sordid fact.
The scene changes to Edinburgh. The meeting of nobles shown took place at Dunfermline Abbey and the Palace of Scone not in Edinburgh.
9 - Twenty five minutes into the movie and we are introduced to the adult Wallace (Mel Gibson) as a lone figure on horse back returning to a “farm” in the highlands of Scotland. This is wholly inaccurate. Firstly the costume is all wrong for a knight of the realm of Scotland (see point 3) and as such he would never travel alone being accompanied by his squire known as Kerle of Riccarton, his personal chaplain and several retainers. Wallace’s homelands were in the area of Cunningham, Kyle and Carrick, which we know them today as Ayrshire.
10 - We are introduced to “Mirrin”, Wallace’s girl friend, which is more artistic licence.
Sir William Wallace married the Lady Marion Broadfute of Lammington Tower in South Lanarkshire. They were married in St Kentigerns Church in the town of Lanark not in a highland grove! Once again the costumery and locus is inaccurate.
11-The murder of Wallace’s wife, Lady Marion, was carried out by Sheriff Hezilrigg of Lanark but not in a remote highland glen. He imprisoned Lady Marion, tortured her to try and find out where Wallace could be found. When she refused Hezilrigg hanged her over the battlements of Lanark Castle. Wallaces revenge was swift and violent. He sacked Lanark Castle and personally killed the sheriff. The people of Lanark rose up and finished the clearing out of English soldiers from Lanark, which Wallace had begun.
12 - 103 minutes into the movie we are in Edward’s court in London. The skirmishings thereafter are fairly accurate.
13 - Now we are introduced to the aging Earl of Carrick, Robert Bruce senior, the son of the old contender along with his son Robert Bruce, the young contender. Their conspiracy is fairly accurate and again so are the ensuing skirmishes.
14 - The court of the young Prince of Wales (he was the first to hold that title) is historically correct.
What occurred in that court in the absence of his father Edward who was warring in France at the time is merely conjecture.
15 - At 114 minutes the set changes to the Battle at Stirling. The movie shows a set piece battle on a fairly flat terrain over a field. In fact this well documented battle occurred on the 11th of September 1297 when Wallace was 27 years old. The battle is known as “the Battle of Stirling Brig”. Wallace and his army held the high ground near the Abbey Craig on the north side of the Forth river, just east of Stirling. The English army had to enter a narrow bridge to reach Wallace. Wallace held his ground until some five thousand English soldiers had crossed and then poured his forces down on those soldiers who had got over the bridge and carried out a mass slaughter. As more and more English crossed the bridge they were systematically slaughtered. It was a rout not a set piece battle. It was the only way the Scots could possibly take on an army that outnumbered them by three to one.
The costumery for the English invaders is largely correct but once again the costumes of the Scots is wholly inaccurate for the period.
The Scots army of the 12th&13th century did not use war paint nor did they paint their faces. There is no record of any of the Scots at this battle or any other battle of the period showing their bottoms or genitalia to the opposing army. Pure Hollywood.
16 - The movie fairly accurately portrays the dubbing of Sir William Wallace as Knight Guardian of Scotland after his success at Stirling Brig. This ceremony is fairly well recorded and took place in the Kirk O’ The Forest near the border town of Selkirk by the young contender Sir Robert Bruce.
17 - The character of Robert Bruce the young contender for the crown of Scotland is fairly accurately portrayed throughout the entire movie. The young Bruce prevaricated. He sided with Wallace then supported Edward, then after Wallace was martyred saw his main chance for the Scots crown and took it.
18 - 140 minutes into the movie we see the return of Edward from France. What happens in this scene is pure speculation.
19 - At 147 minutes there is a meeting between Wallace and the Princess of Wales. This is pure theatrical invention. Such a meeting never took place.
20 - The Battle of Falkirk occurred on July 22nd 1298 at Westquarter Burn near Callandar Wood close to Falkirk. In this battle 30,000 Scots were faced by 87,000 English soldiers. The Scots costumery is again inaccurate but the outcome is a matter of historic record, a massive defeat of the Scots army.
21 - A fairly accurate depiction of Bruce’s treachery towards Wallace.
22 - Following the Battle of Falkirk, Wallace, his closest companions and the two remaining commanders of his army were on their own fighting a guerrilla war against Edward 1st.
Missing from this period is Wallace’s appointment as Scotland’s ambassador to the Papal Court in Rome and the Court of Phillip 1V of France at the palace of Le Louvre in Paris.
23 - 220 minutes shows another fictional meeting with the Princess of Wales.
24 - The betrayal and capture of Wallace actually happened at Robroyston on the Glasgow Borough Muir where Wallace was to meet with Robert Bruce. Sir John Monteith whom Wallace regarded as a friend betrayed Wallace into the hands of a command of English soldiers. The movie in this respect is fairly accurate.
25 - 220 minutes and the trial of Wallace was accurate enough but there never was an intervention by the Princess of Wales.
26 - For an account of the death scene based on court records see pages 90 through to 103 of the book by Craufuird C Loudoun, “In Pursuit of Sir William Wallace”.
In this respect the film is fairly accurate. However it is a matter of historic record that Edward 1st was present at both the trial and execution of Sir William Wallace in London on 23rd August 1305 at Westminster Hall and Smithfield Elms respectively.
The mode of death by hanging, drawing and quartering was specially invented by Edward for the killing of Sir William Wallace.
The film does not show Wallace receiving the last rights of the Church at the hands of England’s leading church man, Robert Winchelsea, the Benedictine Archbishop of Canterbury, nor Wallace’s reading of the psalms as he was being systematically killed.
27 - Finally the movie Braveheart ends with an accurate account of what happened as a result of Wallace’s martyrdom nine years after his death.
On the 24th of June 1314 Scotland’s army led by Robert Bruce met Edward’s army at the Bannock Burn near Stirling. As at Falkirk some years before the Scots were again seriously outnumbered but this time the Scots won. Bruce was elected King of Scot’s and Scotland regained its independence retaining its status as a nation. That was the legacy of Wallace and the movie makes this point fairly accurately.
AN ASSESSMENT.
By John J. G. McGill. FSA.(Scot).
1st June 2001.
BACKGROUND NOTE.
1 - Sir William Wallace was born at Ellerslie in Ayrshire on August 5th 1270. He died a martyr's death at Smithfield Elms in London on August 23rd 1305 on the orders of Edward 1st of England.
His mother was the Lady Margaret Craufuird of Loudoun Castle in Galston Ayrshire who was married to his father Sir Malcolm Wallace of Riccarton near Kilmarnock in Ayrshire.
Sir William Wallace is credited with the fatherhood of Scotland’s nationality and is our greatest hero.
THE MOVIE.
2 - Braveheart, the movie, is a film made to entertain, not to educate. It takes a few historic characters with a few historic happenings and weaves a story around Braveheart (Sir William Wallace) not necessarily in the correct chronological order and often out of historic context. The movie is set correctly in 13th and 14th century Scotland.
The use of Tartan in the costumes is historically incorrect. Tartan was not invented until the late 18th century by Sir Walter Scott as a means to help reduce unemployment at that time by creating jobs.
3 - The opening scene depicts Sir Malcolm Wallace in the Scottish Highlands on horseback dressed in a kind of rough homespun clothing and a kind of kilt. The location should have been in the Ayrshire hills and as a knight of the realm of Scotland he would have been much better dressed in light mail, leathers and a cloak. His horse would have been equally protected.
The young William is portrayed like an urchin when in fact as the son of a knight he would have been suitably dressed in leathers and a small cloak and would also have been on horseback.
4 - The opening scene should have depicted a tower house not a hovel. The murders of the Cunninghams are historically correct but they took place at Carleith Tower near the Killoch Burn near Auchencloigh in East Ayrshire but they occurred when William Wallace was 25 years old and it was he and his companions who found the bodies strung up not his father Malcolm as portrayed in the film.
5 - The film shows Wallace as a very young boy attending his father’s funeral. In fact Wallace was about 24 years old when his father was killed in battle at Loudoun Hill in Ayrshire.
6 - When Wallace was a young boy of nine years he was at primary school some fifty miles north from Riccarton at a place called Dunnipace near Stirling. After that he went to Dundee to receive his secondary education at St Mary’s vicarage remaining there until he was sixteen years old.
7 - According to the film Wallace’s mother is already dead when his father was killed. In fact Wallace buried his mother at Dunfermline Abbey when he was 27/28 years old, about four years after the death of his father.
The previous seven points cover the first twenty minutes of Braveheart the movie.
8 - The scene switches to London. The court of Edward 1st is speculative although the prima nuptia was a sordid fact.
The scene changes to Edinburgh. The meeting of nobles shown took place at Dunfermline Abbey and the Palace of Scone not in Edinburgh.
9 - Twenty five minutes into the movie and we are introduced to the adult Wallace (Mel Gibson) as a lone figure on horse back returning to a “farm” in the highlands of Scotland. This is wholly inaccurate. Firstly the costume is all wrong for a knight of the realm of Scotland (see point 3) and as such he would never travel alone being accompanied by his squire known as Kerle of Riccarton, his personal chaplain and several retainers. Wallace’s homelands were in the area of Cunningham, Kyle and Carrick, which we know them today as Ayrshire.
10 - We are introduced to “Mirrin”, Wallace’s girl friend, which is more artistic licence.
Sir William Wallace married the Lady Marion Broadfute of Lammington Tower in South Lanarkshire. They were married in St Kentigerns Church in the town of Lanark not in a highland grove! Once again the costumery and locus is inaccurate.
11-The murder of Wallace’s wife, Lady Marion, was carried out by Sheriff Hezilrigg of Lanark but not in a remote highland glen. He imprisoned Lady Marion, tortured her to try and find out where Wallace could be found. When she refused Hezilrigg hanged her over the battlements of Lanark Castle. Wallaces revenge was swift and violent. He sacked Lanark Castle and personally killed the sheriff. The people of Lanark rose up and finished the clearing out of English soldiers from Lanark, which Wallace had begun.
12 - 103 minutes into the movie we are in Edward’s court in London. The skirmishings thereafter are fairly accurate.
13 - Now we are introduced to the aging Earl of Carrick, Robert Bruce senior, the son of the old contender along with his son Robert Bruce, the young contender. Their conspiracy is fairly accurate and again so are the ensuing skirmishes.
14 - The court of the young Prince of Wales (he was the first to hold that title) is historically correct.
What occurred in that court in the absence of his father Edward who was warring in France at the time is merely conjecture.
15 - At 114 minutes the set changes to the Battle at Stirling. The movie shows a set piece battle on a fairly flat terrain over a field. In fact this well documented battle occurred on the 11th of September 1297 when Wallace was 27 years old. The battle is known as “the Battle of Stirling Brig”. Wallace and his army held the high ground near the Abbey Craig on the north side of the Forth river, just east of Stirling. The English army had to enter a narrow bridge to reach Wallace. Wallace held his ground until some five thousand English soldiers had crossed and then poured his forces down on those soldiers who had got over the bridge and carried out a mass slaughter. As more and more English crossed the bridge they were systematically slaughtered. It was a rout not a set piece battle. It was the only way the Scots could possibly take on an army that outnumbered them by three to one.
The costumery for the English invaders is largely correct but once again the costumes of the Scots is wholly inaccurate for the period.
The Scots army of the 12th&13th century did not use war paint nor did they paint their faces. There is no record of any of the Scots at this battle or any other battle of the period showing their bottoms or genitalia to the opposing army. Pure Hollywood.
16 - The movie fairly accurately portrays the dubbing of Sir William Wallace as Knight Guardian of Scotland after his success at Stirling Brig. This ceremony is fairly well recorded and took place in the Kirk O’ The Forest near the border town of Selkirk by the young contender Sir Robert Bruce.
17 - The character of Robert Bruce the young contender for the crown of Scotland is fairly accurately portrayed throughout the entire movie. The young Bruce prevaricated. He sided with Wallace then supported Edward, then after Wallace was martyred saw his main chance for the Scots crown and took it.
18 - 140 minutes into the movie we see the return of Edward from France. What happens in this scene is pure speculation.
19 - At 147 minutes there is a meeting between Wallace and the Princess of Wales. This is pure theatrical invention. Such a meeting never took place.
20 - The Battle of Falkirk occurred on July 22nd 1298 at Westquarter Burn near Callandar Wood close to Falkirk. In this battle 30,000 Scots were faced by 87,000 English soldiers. The Scots costumery is again inaccurate but the outcome is a matter of historic record, a massive defeat of the Scots army.
21 - A fairly accurate depiction of Bruce’s treachery towards Wallace.
22 - Following the Battle of Falkirk, Wallace, his closest companions and the two remaining commanders of his army were on their own fighting a guerrilla war against Edward 1st.
Missing from this period is Wallace’s appointment as Scotland’s ambassador to the Papal Court in Rome and the Court of Phillip 1V of France at the palace of Le Louvre in Paris.
23 - 220 minutes shows another fictional meeting with the Princess of Wales.
24 - The betrayal and capture of Wallace actually happened at Robroyston on the Glasgow Borough Muir where Wallace was to meet with Robert Bruce. Sir John Monteith whom Wallace regarded as a friend betrayed Wallace into the hands of a command of English soldiers. The movie in this respect is fairly accurate.
25 - 220 minutes and the trial of Wallace was accurate enough but there never was an intervention by the Princess of Wales.
26 - For an account of the death scene based on court records see pages 90 through to 103 of the book by Craufuird C Loudoun, “In Pursuit of Sir William Wallace”.
In this respect the film is fairly accurate. However it is a matter of historic record that Edward 1st was present at both the trial and execution of Sir William Wallace in London on 23rd August 1305 at Westminster Hall and Smithfield Elms respectively.
The mode of death by hanging, drawing and quartering was specially invented by Edward for the killing of Sir William Wallace.
The film does not show Wallace receiving the last rights of the Church at the hands of England’s leading church man, Robert Winchelsea, the Benedictine Archbishop of Canterbury, nor Wallace’s reading of the psalms as he was being systematically killed.
27 - Finally the movie Braveheart ends with an accurate account of what happened as a result of Wallace’s martyrdom nine years after his death.
On the 24th of June 1314 Scotland’s army led by Robert Bruce met Edward’s army at the Bannock Burn near Stirling. As at Falkirk some years before the Scots were again seriously outnumbered but this time the Scots won. Bruce was elected King of Scot’s and Scotland regained its independence retaining its status as a nation. That was the legacy of Wallace and the movie makes this point fairly accurately.
