Introduction: The film Braveheart, directed by and starring Mel Gibson, has been highly regarded in Hollywood since its release in 1995. It was nominated for and won several Academy Awards. and Academy Awards, including the coveted Academy Award for Best Picture in 1996. Due to the positive attention Braveheart received after its release, many might be surprised that Braveheart is considered by historians and analyzes to be one of the most historically inaccurate films. films of the modern era. It centers on the famous Scottish rebel and knight, William Wallace, who led multiple revolts against the English monarchy in the early 14th century. Although the setting of the story may have traces of accuracy, the depiction of many events is exaggerated and manufactured in order to maintain audience interest and provide a smoother, more understandable storyline. Braveheart appears to use the content and context of historical events solely as inspiration for its scenes, valuing the entertainment aspect of the film over creating an accurate retelling of history. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essayBackground: From the few documents about William Wallace's early life that historians have access to, it is known that Wallace was born in 1270 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. New revelations from historians have revealed that he was the favored son of a minor nobleman from the Scottish lands. For this reason, William Wallace was most likely trained as a "man-at-arms" during his childhood, meaning he learned to fight like a medieval knight would. The William Wallace portrayed in the film, however, directly contradicts these historical documents. He is portrayed in the film as the son of a farmer who spent most of his youth behind a plow. We now know that this is a wildly inaccurate portrayal of his early life. It can be inferred that the film's producers wanted to make young Wallace more susceptible to audience favoritism, portraying him as a young boy with a god-like talent for fighting injustice, instead of just another rich, privileged kid with extensive military training. from his father.Topic Sentence: The event that sparked rebellion in the heart and mind of William Wallace in the film Braveheart was the execution of his wife, Murron MacClannough. Evidence and Citation: Early in the film, Murron fights English soldiers who were attempting to exercise their right to Prima Nocte, which was a supposed legal right in medieval Europe that allowed lords to "deflower" subordinate women. Because of her refusal, Murron was captured and publicly executed. Commentary: In retaliation for this murder, Wallace led his clan to massacre the English troops stationed in his hometown. This is believed to be the start of a state-wide rebellion by the Scottish people against English rule. Many historical inaccuracies can be drawn from this representation. First, there is no documented evidence that William Wallace was ever married. Another historical inaccuracy is the concept of Prima Nocta adopted throughout Scotland after the ascension of Edward I. According to many historians, Prima Nocta was a myth in medieval Europe, or they believe it was a false claim used to make the rulers of foreign countries appear more barbaric. Even if Wallace's wife existed, the idea that her murder was the basis of William Wallace's motivation to fight would also be exaggerated. It is more likely that Wallace had the ambition to break English authority or that hewas unhappy with the current occupation of his country. It is also inaccurate for the filmmakers to assume that Wallace's initial fight against the British who executed Murron sparked a wider rebellion against the English throughout Scotland. In fact, many Scots were rallying against British rule before Wallace's involvement in any sort of revolt. Topic Sentence: The two major battles that the film revolves around are the Battle of Falkirk and the Battle of Stirling Bridge, both of which are real events in history. The Battle of Stirling Bridge came first, which took place on September 11, 1297 in real life, but would have taken place seventeen years before in the film. The battle was fought by William Wallace and Andrew de Moray, who was never mentioned in the film. An English army confronted Wallace and his men at the bridge across the River Forth near Stirling. Wallace's forces were vastly outnumbered, but the English were forced to cross a narrow bridge before they could reach them. Peter Armstrong describes the bridge in his text Stirling Bridge and Falkirk – William Wallace's Rebellion as follows: "The medieval Stirling Bridge was a substantial wooden structure, supported on eight stone piers, although barely wide enough to allow passage of a horse and cart. ….”. The Scots used clever tactics, sending men onto the bridge, which alleviated their numerical disadvantage. They waited until about a third of the English forces had assembled on the bridge before launching their attack, catching them off guard and leading them to an unlikely victory. In Braveheart, however, this battle took place on a wide, flat plain. Commentary: The film's writers took many liberties during this battle scene, as filming around a bridge would have been very difficult at the time, but they maintained the idea that the Scots were heavily outnumbered , while emerging victorious. The Battle of Falkirk also has many qualities that inaccurately portray events of the past. Evidence and Citation: This happened on July 22, 1298, according to records historians have access to. In the film, Wallace loses this battle due to the betrayal of some of his most trusted men. In real life, however, it was lost due to technological disadvantage. The English had just developed longbows for their infantrymen, capable of surpassing even the most skilled Scottish archers. For this reason and many other factors, the approximately 10,000 Scottish soldiers were massacred in battle. This great failure was damaging to Wallace's reputation, as it forced him to resign as Guardian of Scotland and began the decline of his involvement in the growing rebellion. Topic Sentence: Arguably the most historically inaccurate section of the film occurs between the Battle of Falkirk and the execution of William Wallace. Evidence and Citation: The film depicts an aging Edward I as tormented by the attacks Wallace directs against the British Empire. The attacks were presented in the film as successful confrontations in most cases, but it is likely that these attempts were insignificant in the grand scheme of the war. They had no significant impact on the English presence in Scotland. Edward I probably did not consider Wallace a major threat, as Wallace had difficulty raising an army after his failure at Falkirk. He traveled to countries such as France and Rome to try to find support for the failing Scottish rebellion, but his military reputation had been tarnished and he returned to.