William Wallace's Loyalty During The Scottish Civil War

Murderer; Traitor; Perpetrator of Atrocities; These were all things that England associated Scotland’s own William Wallace with, so why is he considered a hero? But to really delve into the specifics of why Wallace is classified as a hero, we have to look at his history as a guideline for the reasons he did these things, and how he was qualified enough to be the one to do them. Wallace’s superintendency of his people didn’t just happen, it was invented out of necessity. Wallace presents several tendencies throughout the Scottish Civil War, most of which lead his underdog team to a few victories along the way. But above all, William Wallace shows Leadership, Cunning, and Loyalty during the Scottish Civil War, and that makes him a successful

hero.
For instance, one of Wallace’s greatest fought battles where he showed his cunning was the Battle at the River Forth, making him a hero. While Wallace was on the offensive against the city of Dundee, Wallace learned of an approaching threat to his army coming from the south, a large armada of English soldiers taking orders from John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey (Axelrod and Phillips). Wallace was not just going to surrender, though (Axelrod and Phillips). He concocted a plan on the spot to take advantage of his surroundings, and namely, the single bridge over the river Forth Surrey's army had to cross (Axelrod and Phillips). Wallace waited until nearly half of the army was already halfway across the bridge when he launched a counterattack on the weakened army, killing nearly all of those who crossed (Axelrod and Phillips). Overwhelmed, Surrey's army had no other choice but to hightail it to Berwick where they could take the defensive against Wallace, who was now assaulting the back of them (Axelrod and Phillips). Wallace shows his Machiavellian traits proudly during this battle in a number of ways, this being one of the most prominent examples of the genius ideas and tactics Wallace brought to the war. Wallace, in the same battle, showed great prowess in his patience and tactics as a hero. In the battles against the British, Wallace and his army along with Murray, the British vastly outnumbered the Scots in ways of weapons, and the number of soldiers (Fisher). The British were boastful in regards to how they were securing a victory, but Wallace had other plans (Fisher). They had already holed up in a castle, and were ready to fight the battle out tactical, and patiently (Fisher). Wallace shows another cunning quality in holding off his troops, and not being instigated into running into battle early. Wallace after the battle at the River Forth, does not back down either, as Axelrod and Phillips states, "Although the English troops outnumbered the rebels, crossing the narrow bridge made them vulnerable.Wallace went on to capture Stirling Castle, and for some time Scotland was nearly free of occupying forces. In the next month, Wallace took the offensive, attacking northern England and ravaging the counties of Northumberland and Cumberland." Wallace would then go on to gain a great advantage in the Scottish Civil War, all because of his canny ability to free Scotland (Axelrod and Phillips). The only part of Wallace’s plan that faltered was on the fault of others, not Wallace’s planning himself (“William Wallace, Sir”). Wallace had thought out Scotland's plan of action for freeing itself from English rule from the beginning, and he knew that in order for them to succeed, they needed the upper nobility of Scotland to have their backs in battle and in the revolution (“William Wallace, Sir”). Wallace had already swept the lower classes and nobility into the cause with his spiral of influence, but the upper nobility never returned the favor of Loyalty back to Wallace's army (“William Wallace, Sir”). This was a very strong reason why the Scots didn't manage to win as soon as they had hoped, and a cause of Wallace's death (“William Wallace, Sir”). Wallace tries very hard to prevail over his limitations in the war, but if a hero doesn’t have good support from others, he cannot always succeed.
Secondly, Wallace shows very prominent features of Loyalty throughout his campaigns, making him a true hero.

Wallace has humble beginnings in a small Scottish town, but still holds a great Loyalty to his country (Axelrod and Phillips). As Axelrod and Phillips mentions, "In 1296, Edward I of England, attempting to impose direct rule over Scotland, deposited John de Balliol, the Scottish King, and had him imprisoned. Scottish nationalists had sporadic encounters with Edward's army when, in May 1297, William Wallace, a small landowner from Renfrew, led a band of 30 rebels in an attack on Lanark. The town was burned, the English Sheriff murdered, and Wallace was on his way to becoming one of Scotland's greatest heroes." Wallace’s humble beginnings can even be referenced as a focal point for his lasting loyalty throughout his life, and Wallace has shown great Loyalty to those close to him during the war as well. Wallace showed great Loyalty to his friends at the battle of Falkirk (“William Wallace, Sir”). After another failure of Surrey to put down the Scottish Rebellion and kill William Wallace, King Edward decided it was best to get the job done himself, and saw a chance to take down Wallace as he marched to Falkirk (“William Wallace, Sir”). His army was vastly superior to the Scots militia, and managed to kill dozens of Scottish soldiers that day, including Wallace's friend and advisor Sir John de Graham (“William Wallace, Sir”). Wallace was left grieving, and even Blind

Harry, another of his advisers, said it was one of the most heartfelt things he's ever heard (“William Wallace, Sir”) Wallace shows his grief-stricken feelings of Loyalty toward his friend, and enforces the fact forward that his Loyalty is a heroic quality. Wallace’s Loyalty for Scotland never faltered, even if opportunities would allow him to. After a long break from fighting in the resistance after thinking Scotland had finally freed itself, Wallace was still able to go back to Scotland, and gathered an army at the drop of a hat (English). The entire political structure of Scotland had changed while he was gone, but he was such a great leader, that people still respected him and wanted to fight for him (English). Wallace was Loyal to Scotland no matter what. Even when faced with death, Wallace still never gave up his utmost Loyalty to freeing Scotland. Even after William Wallace was caught by King Edward, and was going to die, he still chose to die in glory, and never swear loyalty to the King (Fisher). At his execution, he was tortured immensely by Edward, but no matter what he did, be it dragging him miles behind horseback, or cutting out his intestines, Wallace never gave in (Fisher). This was one of the greatest ways he became a martyr (Fisher). Wallace faced all of what was mentioned, without ever giving up on Scotland, and that makes his Loyalty a heroic quality.
Lastly, Wallace was known to have the best Leadership of any general in the Scottish Civil war, and was commended on several occasions for his heroics.

Wallace was the only general that could outplay the entirety of the English armies forced matched ten to one (“William Wallace, Sir”). After Wallace brought forward a formidable Scottish resistance army in the Rising of 1297, King Edward was outraged (“William Wallace, Sir”). Edward then decided to flush out the Scottish Army with the brute strength of numbers (“William Wallace, Sir”). The armies met at the River Forth, and Wallace used his favorable position and great leadership of his army to out wait the English army (“William Wallace, Sir”). It was a slaughter of the English army, and Wallace moved on to take over all of the fortresses and castles in Scotland while England was on the run (“William Wallace, Sir”). Wallace shows he can lead his army effectively despite their challenges.Even when Wallace was fighting England, he wasn't afraid to take up the offensive on England during the war. He professionally led his army to raid England all the way up to Northumberland, which got him the title of "guardian of the realm" in March 1298 (“William Wallace, Sir”). He the leader of all of Scotland (“William Wallace, Sir”). Wallace tarnished the integrity of the English army with his overbearing victories."So devastating was Wallace's work that Edward made a truce in his war with France so as to be free to face the threat from

the north. Wallace met the English counteroffensive with a calculated retreat and scorched-earth policy, and for a time his strategy worked. In the face of the pinch of scarce supplies and threats of mutiny, Edward was preparing to abandon his pursuit when he learned that Wallace was within striking distance. Edward moved quickly to force an open battle." (“William Wallace, Sir”). Wallace had everything right in his army, but lacked one important thing, range. While Wallace was a very enthusiastic and amazing Leader, he knew when to yield to others during certain situations. After William Wallace, "Scotland's Guardian of the Realm" lost to King Edward's army of archers at Falkirk, Wallace's reputation was tarnished. He did not act as a tyrant, even in his time of defeat. He decided that he was unfit to continue leading for now, and gave up his leadership to Robert the Bruce (1274-1329), which was a great example of strong leadership in itself (Axelrod and Phillips). These qualitative facts describe in full how Wallace’s actions of Leadership are no doubt akin to a true hero’s.
Overall, William Wallace has shown throughout history to display various qualities of cunning, loyalty, and leadership. These various qualities are what made him a hero in history, and in the hearts of all Scots. There could be arguable violent traits someone could counter Wallace’s good doings with, but the good overweights the bad in this case, for the world’s greatest martyr of battle.