Braveheart (1995)
Audiences of the 1995 film Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson as the warrior leader, would be shocked to learn that the film isn’t based exclusively on the real William Wallace. Wallace, a Scottish knight, led troops during the First War of Scottish Independence in the late 1200s/ early 1300s. Some historians, however, argue the Braveheart film contains elements of King Robert the Bruce than William Wallace. Their stories appear to be meshed for the film.
Despite Robert the Bruce’s influence on the film, Wallace is still the main hero. His real-life counterpart killed the Sheriff of Lanark after he killed Wallace’s betrothed. Wallace assumed the Scottish standard against the English, defeating them at Stirling Bridge in 1297, a bloody battle included in the film (sort of). Wallace and his forces were defeated at Falkirk in 1298. The English captured Wallace and trying and executing him for treason.
