William Wallace raised his head...

This is post number 1297 for me and I thought I'd make it a commemoration of the year 1297. I am also changing my signature file to go along with this auspicious event. The first person to identify the piece gets an attaboy from me!

From the Scotichronicon, Book 11, Chapter 28

In 1297 the famous William Wallace, the hammer of the English, the son of the noble knight Malcolm Wallace, raised his head... When Wallace was a young knight, he killed the sheriff of Lanark, an Englishman who was dexterous and powerful in the use of arms, in the town of Lanark. From that time therefore there gathered to his side like a swarm of bees all those who were bitter in their outlook and oppressed by the burden of servitude under the intolerable rule of English domination, and he was made their leader.

In 1296 Edward I "Longshanks" of England finally dispensed with his puppet king John Balliol of Scotland and took over direct administration of Scotland. The country was garrisoned with English troops and all seemed lost. Then, in 1297, a minor landowner's second son "raised his head" in Lanarkshire. Supposedly to avenge the murder of his wife, Willaim Wallace killed the sheriff of Lanark and sparked a revolt in the south west of Scotland. At about the same time a powerful magnate's son, Sir Andrew deMoray started another uprising in the north. Both men drew followers to their cause from the ordinary people of Scotland.

The revolt in the north and the revolt in the south west took off like wildfire and in a few short months the whole country was aflame with the deeds of Wallace and deMoray. By September the armies of Wallace and deMoray had combined and were prepared to take on the might of England in a pitched battle. The chosen ground was the north bank of the River Forth at Stirling.

Reports had reached Longshanks about the upstart Scots and he sent orders to his commanders in Scotland to deal with the problem. The English were under the command of the Earl of Surrey and the Treasurer of Scotland, Hugh Cressingham.

The Forth was crossed by a narrow bridge at Stirling and the ground to the north was boggy with a causeway which carried the road north towards the Abbey Craig. The Scots drew up their army under the Abbey Craig and waited for the English to come to them. The English army had about 200 knights and mounted men-at-arms, and 10,000 foot soldiers, the Scots had 36 cavalry and 8000 foot. The English sent two friars to negotiate the surrender of the rebels, but they returned with a message from Wallace: "Tell your commander that we are not here to make peace but to do battle, to defend ourselves and liberate our kingdom. Let them come on, and we shall prove this in their very beards."

The earl of Surrey gave orders to his army to cross the bridge next morning and retired for the night. At dawn on the Eleventh of September the English infantry began crossing the bridge and were deployed on the marshy ground to the north of the river, then they were recalled. The earl of Surrey had slept late and the battle was postponed! When Surrey was finally ready he called a council of war. Some of the Scottish nobles among the English ranks argued that the bridge was a death trap and they should cross at a ford further upstream, but their advice was rejected. Cressingham urged Surrey to hurry up as the campaign was proving expensive and so the order was given to cross the bridge.

By mid-day less than half the English force had crossed the narrow bridge. The Scots waited until a significant portion of the enemy had crossed and then the signal was given. A mass of spearmen charged along the causeway while the English heavy horses and infantry floundered in the marshy ground. Scottish pikemen secured the bridgehead and cut off any retreat or reinforcements. The English panicked and were slaughtered, many drowning in their attempts to escape. Surrey could only watch helplessly from the south bank of the river as his army was destroyed. Only one group of English knights, under Sir Marmaduke Tweng, managed to fight their way back over the bridge before Surrey ordered it destroyed to forestall any Scottish pursuit. Surrey then withdrew to Berwick and left his army to its fate.

The hated Cressingham was trapped on the wrong side of the bridge and was butchered. The English chroniclers claimed his body was flayed and the skin used to cover the hilt of Wallace's sword, but it was only propaganda.

Wallace and deMoray were both in their early twenties and they had just destroyed the might of England. deMoray later died of wounds received in the battle, which left Wallace in sole charge.

At the beginning of 1297 wallace was an obscure minor lanowner's son. At the end of the year he was Sir William Wallace, Guardian of the Realm and Commander of the army of Scotland. And he was about 25 years old.