Wallace, Sir William (ca. 1270–1305)
Scottish revolutionary
William Wallace was born about 1270 in the Scottish
area of Renfrewshire; he is believed to be the second son
of Sir Malcolm Wallace of Elderslie and Auchinbothie.
Because there are few records of this period, much of the
story of Wallace’s early life comes from a history writ-
ten by a 15th-century monk named Blind Harry, who
combined legends about Wallace with other anecdotes
handed down from generation to generation. Wallace
grew up in the village of Dunipace, in Stirlingshire,
Scotland, where he lived with an uncle. While attending
school, he met John Blair, who became one of his closest
friends as well as his personal chaplain. Blind Harry’s
work claimed his account was based on a 13th-century
work by Blair, but Blair’s work is lost, and Harry’s claims
cannot be substantiated.
Although many biographies have depicted Wallace
rallying against the English because of their rule over
Scotland, some historians believe that his murder of an
Englishman named Selby, who had insulted him, led
to the English authorities turning Wallace into a out-
law and making him a rebel against the hated English.
Steadily, he assembled a band of fellow Scots who hated
English rule and were determined to throw off English
domination. Many of these men included some of the
most important noblemen in Scotland, including Doug-

las the Hardy, Sir John de Graham, Sir Andrew Moray,

Robert Wishart (bishop of Glasgow), and several others.

The first action this group took was to attack the court

being conducted by William de Ormsby, the English

judge in Scotland. Although Ormsby escaped, many of

William Wallace

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