The “Real” William Wallace - What did he look like?
The Story of William Wallace
The reputation of Sir William Wallace looms large in Scotland, and after the 1995 film “Braveheart” his legacy became known around the globe. But, there is a lot to separate in terms of fact from fiction.
But what we really know about William Wallace comes from only a few sources, most notably the 15th century writings of a poet called Blind Harry, titled The Wallace. Unfortunately, there are many periods of Wallace’s life for which no information exists.
Sometime around A.D. 1270, William Wallace was born. The country during the time of his birth was peaceful, thriving under the rule of King Alexander III. But in 1275 Alexander’s queen died, and over the course of 4 years, all three of his children and heirs had also died. This left a terrible power vacuum in the Kingdom.
No less than 13 noblemen stepped forward to claim the crown, including the two biggest players, Robert the Bruce, and John Balloil, both the closest descendants of King William I. This period is now known as the “Great Cause.” and in an effort to avoid a civil war between them, the Scottish nobles invited the English King, Edward I, also known as Edward Longshanks, to help arbitrate the succession.
At the end of it all, John Balliol, was named the next King of Scotland. But King Edward Longshanks used his influence to mold Balliol into a puppet for English interests. In March of 1296 - Edward Longshanks raised 30,000 men, and marched to invade Scotland. His first stop was the tactically important border town of Berwick, which fell in just a few days to the English forces.
Small acts of resistance and violence broke out here and there across Scotland. There were pockets of rebellion, but no one to unite them.
It’s here that William Wallace pops into the history books. In May of 1297, Wallace and a small group of other rebels murder the Sherrif of Lanark, supposedly in rebellion for the English Sheriff killing the woman that Wallace loved. This is the romantic thread that Mel Gibson utilized in Braveheart to spin the origin story for Wallace’s anger towards the English, but historians disagree on whether or not this woman ever existed. Either way, it is the first act definitively known to have been carried out by Wallace.
Artist’s rendition of Andrew de Moray
Another important figure was working in the North: Andrew de Moray. Moray had already been working for some time against the English. Folklore about Wallace - that he was skilled in hand to hand combat, incredibly brave, massively tall and wild in appearance, reached Moray. The two naturally joined forces.
Later that same month the English and the Scottish forces met at the Battle of Stirling. It’s the only battle we know for sure that William Wallace fought in. Although the Scottish army was greatly outnumbered, they had a much stronger strategy. The Scotsman used Stirling Bridge, the natural chokepoint of the Battle, to massacre the English forces. Although the English had cavalry, where the Scotsman were only on foot, the Scots used massive spears for an advantage.
Moray and Wallace were named “Guardians of Scotland” - essentially becoming the regents of the re-captured land. Wallace was formally knighted at Selkirk, a symbol of great respect for the man who was fighting so hard for Scottish freedom. Scotland was nearly free, if only for a moment.
But in April of 1298, Edward Longshanks renewed his effort to take back Scotland, ordering a second wave of invasion. King Edward received intelligence of the Scots nearby location at Falkirk. He wasted no time gathering his troops, hoping to finally meet the Scotsman on the battlefield.
While the Scottish army still had strong tactics on their side, this time the English forces had Welsh longbowmen. It was a bitter defeat of the Scottish forces, who lost many men. But somehow, William Wallace had escaped capture.
It’s unclear exactly where William goes during this time. Some say he traveled to France, to beg them to assist in the war for Scottish independence. He is likely back in Scotland by 1303, continuing his efforts for freedom, possibly organizing and training men for the cause.
By 1304, most Scottish nobles had submitted to Edward, including Robert the Bruce, who signed a truce with Edward I that same year. Of course, Wallace was excluded from the terms of peace, and a larger bounty was placed on his head.
In August of 1305, the luck of William Wallace ran out. He was seized near Glasgow when a Scottish knight betrayed him, revealing his location to Edward’s men. Wallace was brought to London where he was tried at Westminster Hall. During the trial, he uttered the iconic line: “I could not be a traitor to Edward, for I was never his subject.”
On the 23rd of August, William Wallace was hung, drawn and quartered. His head was placed on a pike on London Bridge, and his limbs sent to strongholds around the country, as a grim reminder of what rebellion against the English would mean.
After his death, a new rebellion under Robert the Bruce would free Scotland.
William Wallace is one of the most celebrated figures in Scottish history, and remains a national hero.
What did William Wallace really look like?
Unfortunately, there is no existing portrait of William Wallace left for us today that was made from life. The closest thing we have to possible accuracy is this sketch, made by the 11th Earl of Buchan, in the 18th century. The Earl claimed that this sketch was made from a medieval original - now lost to us. It appears that most engravings and artistic renderings of Wallace are based on this, sharing really similar features. This one shows him with darker hair and eyes, so I’ve used that for my re-creation.
Sketch made by David Erskine, the 11th Earl of Buchan. Buchan said it was based off of a medieval original. Courtesy of National Galleries of Scotland - Public domain of the United States.
Unfortunately we also lack contemporary descriptions.
Walter Bower did write about Wallace in the 14th century, saying: "He was a tall man with the body of a giant, cheerful in appearance with agreeable features, broad-shouldered and big-boned…pleasing in appearance but with a wild look…with strong arms and legs, a most spirited fighting-man, with all his limbs very strong and firm."
Of course, it’s difficult to untangle where the man Wallace ends, and the Legend of Wallace begins. This description could definitely include some folklore - a fearsome, giant man. But, since it’s all we have to go on, I’ve integrated this into my depiction.
We don’t have a ton of references to Scottish men’s medieval style clothing from this period. It’s likely that Wallace would have worn a costume typical to a man-at-arms - Chainmail covered by a tunic, with a helmet. Wallace was from the Scottish Lowlands, which largely carried on the traditions in hair and dress that the rest of Europe had at this time. He would have worn a beard, and would not have worn the full plate armor depicted in more modern images of him.
The statue depicting Wallace in Edinburgh is probably closest to what he would have actually worn.
So since we have no true images of Wallace, this is mostly an artistic interpretation. But I hope it gives you a sense of what William Wallace the man could have really looked like.