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William Wallace Facts & Worksheets

William Wallace was a Scottish knight known for being one of Scotland’s greatest national heroes and one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence.

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William Wallace was a Scottish knight known for being one of Scotland’s greatest national heroes and one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence.

See the fact file below for more information on the William Wallace or alternatively, you can download our 22-page William Wallace worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

  • Sir William Wallace was born in circa 1270.
  • William Wallace was known to be a member of the lesser nobility.
  • William Wallace’s father, sir Malcolm Wallace, was a small landowner in Renfrew.
  • Little is known of his William’s family history, but historians view Elderslie in Renfrewshire as William’s birthplace.

UPRISING

  • When William Wallace was growing up, King Alexander III was the ruler of Scotland.
  • King Alexander III had a peaceful reign with stable economy.
  • However, King Alexander III died on March 19, 1286.
  • The then heir to the throne was the daughter of King Alexander III, Margaret.
  • Margaret was too young to take on the position so the Scottish lords set up a government of guardians.
  • However, Margaret died on September 26, 1290 leaving the throne empty, and without an heir.
  • Some of the credible nominees to take on the throne were John Balliol, Robert Bruce, John Hastings, and Floris V.
  • In November 1292, the court gave John Balliol the favor based on him having the strongest claim in law based on seniority in genealogical primogeniture.
  • In 1296, King Edward I of England deposed and imprisoned the Scottish King John Balliol and later on declared himself as the ruler of Scotland.
  • William Wallace and some more men started a Sporadic resistance when they burned Lanark and killed its English sheriff, William de Heselrig.
  • William Wallace then joined Sir William Douglas and they carried out the raid of Scone.

BATTLE OF STIRLING BRIDGE

  • On September 11, 1297, an army headed by William Wallace and Andrew Moray won the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
  • The Battle of Stirling Bridge was a battle of the First War of Scottish Independence.
  • The combined forces of William Wallace and Andrew Moray defeated the combined English forces of John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, and Hugh de Cressingham.
  • After the battle, both Wallace and Moray assumed the title of Guardians of the Kingdom of Scotland on behalf of King John Balliol.
  • Sometime in late 1297, Moray died of wounds suffered on the battlefield.

BATTLE OF FALKIRK

  • In April 1298, King Edward I ordered another attack to Scotland.
  • William Wallace arranged his men into four schiltrons (compact body of troops forming a battle array, shield wall, or phalanx).
  • However, gaps soon appeared in the schiltrons, and the English used these gaps to crush the remaining resistance.
  • William Wallace was able to escape but his reputation was severely damaged.
  • By September 1298, Wallace resigned as Guardian of Scotland and was succeeded by Robert Bruce, later to be known as King Robert I.

EXECUTION

  • On August 5, 1305, William Wallace was turned over to English soldiers after John de Menteith, a Scottish knight loyal to King Edward I, turned him over.
  • Wallace was then transported to London and was tried for treason and for atrocities against civilians in war.
  • On August 23, 1305, Wallace was taken from the Westminster Hall to the Tower of London where he was stripped naked and was dragged through the city at the heels of a horse.
  • William Wallace was later on hanged, strangled due to hanging, emasculated, eviscerated, beheaded, and then was cut into four parts.
  • Wallace’s preserved head was placed on a pike on the top of the London Bridge, which later on was joined by the heads of the Fraser brothers, John and Simon.
  • His limbs, on the other hand, were displayed, separately, in Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling, and Perth.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

  • In 1869, the National Wallace Monument was erected near the site of his victory at Stirling Bridge.
  • The National Wallace Monument, or generally known as Wallace Monument, is a tower standing on the shoulder of Abbey Craig.
  • Abbey Craig is a hilltop overlooking Stirling in Scotland.
  • The Wallace Monument was erected to commemorate Sir William Wallace.
  • The Wallace Sword is proudly displayed in The Hall of Arms, the gallery on the first floor of The National Wallace Monument.
  • A personal seal of William Wallace was found on a letter written on October 11, 1297 to the mayor of Lübeck, Germany.
  • There are several statues of Sir William Wallace including the ones displayed at Aberdeen, at the Edinburgh Castle, and at the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.

William Wallace Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the William Wallace across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use William Wallace worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about William Wallace who was a Scottish knight known for being one of Scotland’s greatest national heroes and one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • William Wallace Facts
  • Who Is Wallace?
  • The War
  • Knight
  • Word Hunt
  • Moray
  • Your Own
  • Scotland
  • Opinion
  • Draw Him
  • Hello

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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