Wallace’s Capture and Execution

The fortunes of William Wallace would quickly reverse in the summer after his most famous victory. Edward I was angry that his army lost to Wallace and Andrew de Moray at Stirling Bridge. Edward decided to lead the next invasion of Scotland personally.

The two sides would meet again at Falkirk in July 1298. This time the English forces were too much for Wallace’s men. During the battle Wallace lost another close friend and loyal knight as John de Graeme was killed. Wallace survived but his army was crushed.

After Falkirk he resigned as Guardian of Scotland and left the country. He would spend some time in Europe but eventually returned to Scotland.

Wallace was a wanted man for the rest of his life. Edward I was willing to forgive other rebels, but not William Wallace.

In early August 1305 Wallace was finally captured near Glasgow. He had been betrayed by a Scottish nobleman named John Menteith.

A Brutal Fate

After he was handed over to Edward’s men, Wallace will have probably known that he was unlikely to live much longer. Wallace wasn’t executed right away and was forced to travel the near 400 miles to London for a trial. This was never intended to be a fair trial, the outcome already decided. Famously Wallace is said to have argued he could not be a traitor to Edward, as he was never Edward’s subject.

On 23rd August 1305 Wallace was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death.

Wallace was killed using one of the most brutal punishments in the medieval era: he was to be hung, drawn, and quartered. He was dragged naked behind a horse to the place of execution at Smithfield. Wallace was hanged but will have been cut down while still alive. After this his insides were removed then burned, his head cut off and his body divided into quarters.

To warn others away from rebellion, Wallace’s head was dipped in tar and placed on a pike on London Bridge. His four limbs were sent to be displayed in Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling, and Perth. He would never receive a proper Christian burial.

Edward I had hoped to make a statement. There is no doubt Wallace’s death was painful and cruel. Some will have feared meeting the same fate. However, this was not the end of Wallace’s dream. In the years that followed others would rise up to free Scotland from Edward’s rule.