William Wallace

[Polwarth]

Try googling The Norman Conquest and 1066.

[Kern]

Nice one.

Kind of makes Robert the Bruce 4th or 5th generation Viking. The invading Normans of 1066 being 2nd generation Vikings. Its how his family made the leap to Scots freedom fighter?

[ScotSites]

Kern, maybe you should re-read what wiki has to say:

Although his paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage... his maternal ancestors were Scottish-Gaels.

[Kern]

Got that.

[ochilsman]

As a newbie here, I can't believe the criticism being directed at Wallace from certain quarters. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest he was junior to Moray or that Stirling Bridge was due to the latter. Wallace was the first true patriot. He fought for our countrys' independence without thought of reward. He united the common men against a common foe, which was why he was despised by the nobility. And he died a horrible death in the cause of Scottish independence.

[PADDYBOY]

Wallace lost at the battle of Falkirk due to the Welsh longbows. The longbow was a devestating weapon for its time and was used to great effect by the English against the French in the hundred years war. Longshanks realised that the English heavy cavalry were outmatched by the Scottish schiltrons which is why he brought the unchivalrous longbows into play. most people have no idea how highly trained and accurate these guys were and that they could wipe out an enemy army without even seeing the colour of their eyes.
As for the Scottish light horse, charging the Welsh longbowmen ? dosen't that depend on how well protected/guarded they are ? My guess is that they (Scottish light horse) could see no way to break through to the archers and that is why they abandoned the field, as I say, my guess ?
The Bruce was shrewd enough to predict were the archers would be positioned at Bannockburn and set the light horse up to ambush and route them. Without their longbows, the English were outmatched.

It was following the battle of Falkirk that the longbow replaced the heavy horse as the main arm of the English military. Longshanks outlawed all sports except archery so that he could train and have the best archers in Europe and the rest is history, as they say