Scotland's Anti-British Road —— The History Behind Braveheart and King of Extravagance (I)

When it comes to Braveheart, it is easy for people to think of william wallace's name and mel gibson's fearless figure shouting "Freedom ~ ~ ~" in the vicissitudes of bagpipes. The film is shocking and inspiring, and it has almost become the memory of a generation.

(Brave heart, taken at 1995, media platform 8.8 points. Tell the story of Scottish national hero Wallace fighting for independence and freedom for the country and people.

After more than 20 years, the audience who love history once again saw the second half of the unfinished story on the screen. Robert, a Scottish aristocrat, inherited Wallace's unfinished business and continued to resist the English invaders. This is the history depicted in the 20 18 movie "King of Extralegal". These two films show us Scotland's difficult road to independence.

(King of Extralegal, taken on 20 18, 7.3 points on the media platform. After Wallace's death, King Robert of Scotland persevered and continued to fight against Britain.

Summary of the First Scottish War of Independence (1296— 1328, equivalent to China's Yuan Dynasty);

In fact, as early as the Roman Empire, there were Pict settlements and small kingdoms in Scotland. Compared with the integration of southern England under Roman rule, highland tribes in Scotland still live an independent life, only occasionally harassing the winding Hadrian Great Wall.

(Picts, aborigines, like tattoos and paintings, and later gradually merged with Celtic. The picture shows pickett women in the16th century paintings, all covered in paintings. There are also performances in the movie Braveheart. )

(Scots are rough and simple. The picture shows the modern Scottish Highland Games, which aims to celebrate the Scottish and Celtic cultural heritage. Big men will fight to throw the trunk)

After the Western Roman Empire was destroyed by many barbarians, Scotland and England established their own countries. Scotland is mainly composed of indigenous Picts and Celts, while England is ruled by foreign Anglo-Saxons. Soon, the Vikings who continued to attack arrived in the British Isles. Because of the geographical location, only the northern part of Scotland suffered, and they established the real Kingdom of Scotland, also known as the Kingdom of Alba. In the south, Alfred the Great fought hard with the Danish Norwegians, and finally the kingdom of Wessex basically unified the English region.

(The drama "The Spring and Autumn of the Lonely Country" shows this history.)

Soon after, the Normans from France invaded England, defeated the descendants of Wessex with a glorious history and seized the throne of England. This time, Scotland can't be alone, and then it will be conquered.

The changed kingdom of England is stronger and more ambitious. For their own interests, they constantly intervened in the succession of the Scottish throne, and almost every court plot or black-box operation had their shadow, and the relationship between the two countries became more and more complicated.

By the time of King Edward I of England of England in the 3rd century A.D./KLOC-0, the situation had further developed. Edward is 1.88 meters tall and nicknamed "Long Legs". He was a hostage when he was a child. At a young age, he was smart and brave. He decided to fight. One is to help my father recover from the civil war, lead the army to defeat the domestic opposition aristocrats, and kill and dismember his opponents. Later, he led more than 200 knights to participate in the Crusades in Western European countries and launched a fearless confrontation with Mamluk's army in Jerusalem. Once, a Muslim assassin attacked Edward and stabbed him in the arm with a poisonous dagger. Edward immediately fought back with injuries, killed the assassin and saved his life.

(Edward I of England in Braveheart is cold and domineering)

After returning home, Edward succeeded to the throne of England. At this time, he has become a formidable king. The high tax policy has enabled Britain to maintain a strong army and considerable national strength. Anyone who dares to question the new wool and leather surtax will immediately see his terrible and grumpy temper. The continuous execution of 300 Jews in the city brought the usury industry to a standstill, and the Jews who refused to convert were also expelled collectively. Not only the domestic nobles and rich families are deeply afraid of his iron fist rule, but also the surrounding vassal States are in fear. The first one was Wales, and Edward launched two wars of invasion in succession, completely conquering Wales and turning it into a part of the territory of the Kingdom of England. Needless to say, the Scots are also involuntarily nervous.

(The picture on the left shows the portrait of King Edward I of England of England, and the picture on the right shows King Edward I of England of England in The King of Luxury. )

In fact, even after the Norman Conquest, Scotland and England actually maintained a relatively harmonious relationship. But Edward I of England of England has no intention of going on like this.

Edward's ambition began with political strategy. After removing Wales, he secretly laid out plans and constantly used various means to undermine the royal power and influence of Scotland. Just then, there was a crisis of succession vacancy in the Scottish throne. Edward took the opportunity to make love and prepare to completely annex Scotland. He also asked Scotland to immediately provide troops for the British army to fight against France. In order to protect themselves, Scottish nobles quickly sought the help of their allies, and simply formed an alliance with France, England's arch-enemy, which greatly stimulated Edward I of England in England.

Taking advantage of internal instability in Scotland, Edward launched a large-scale invasion in the second year and bloodily looted the occupied town of Beric. In the Battle of Dunbar, the British army won easily and captured 130 Scottish nobles and knights. Then, the English army seized stone of destiny, which was necessary for the coronation of every Scottish king, and took it to Westminster Abbey. This stone is equivalent to the national seal of our country, which is of great significance, and the shock of the Scots can be imagined. As for the new Scottish King Verrier, he was imprisoned in the infamous Tower of London and enjoyed a dark prisoner's life.

(The stone of destiny under the throne and seat of the British king, also called Squun stone or coronation stone, is a piece of red sandstone weighing 152kg, and the Scottish king has been sitting on it for hundreds of years when he was crowned. 1996 was returned to Scotland)

Because Edward I of England of England insisted on subduing the Scots with toughness and ruling each other with English laws, he didn't take into account the huge differences between the Anglo-Saxon management lifestyle and the Scots. In addition, the lack of softening policy directly led to the rapid gathering of discontent among nobles and civilians everywhere, and Scots believed that their traditional culture and personal interests were threatened as never before.

Highlanders are never cowards. The legendary giant William Wallace, who is more than two meters tall, raised the anti-British flag (the actual height is unknown, but15th century chroniclers called him "huge, tall and strong in limbs"). Wallace worked as a freelance mercenary in his early years. His experience of serving the English army as a striker gave him rich combat experience, which was quite beneficial to the subsequent continuous combat.

Wallace on the left and mel gibson in Braveheart on the right.

He took the lead in launching an uprising in May 1297, assassinated the British sheriff who supported like-minded people, and began to attack the British garrison and officials. Wallace set up a temporary camp in the forest, attracting Scottish aborigines who came to take refuge.

At present, there is a giant sword in the stained glass painting of Wallace Memorial Hall in Scotland. )

(5300 vs 9000)

Four months later, in the autumn of 1297, the two armies met at Stirling Bridge on Fox River. There are 9,000 British troops, including 2,000 cavalry, and Wallace and his comrades-in-arms lead more than 5,000 Scottish infantry. The British army is too arrogant to look down on the Scottish army that was on the verge of collapse before. They chose to attack across the bridge immediately. Wallace saw all this and strictly controlled his men who were eager to fight in the war. He asked everyone to wait patiently until the British army was halfway through. ...

At that time, about 2000 British troops had crossed the bridge, some on the bridge and some on the other side. Wallace launched an attack, similar to the semi-horizontal tactics)

(The Battle of Stirling Bridge shows that Scottish spearmen usually use spears with amazing length and do not have good armor. )

Rows of Scottish spearmen were ordered. They roared and picked up spears more than 3 meters long and swooped down from the highlands like mountain torrents. The slope increased their speed and strength, and the lancers washed away the oncoming British heavy cavalry who had just crossed the bridge, and then covered and killed the subsequent British infantry. Due to the narrow bridge deck, only two horses could pass side by side. The British army was congested and pushed back and forth, and soon fell into a panic dilemma. In front of the sharp spear point of the Scots, English soldiers have no way to escape, whether on the bridge or on the shore. Stepping on each other is only part of the tragedy. Many people fell into the river and sank to the bottom like heavy objects. Only a few can take off their armor and float away. Wallace raised his sword with both hands, shouted loudly, and led his men into the enemy line, crushing the other side to pieces.

(The Battle of Stirling Bridge depicted in Victorian era shows the scene of British troops being attacked and congested. The collapse of the bridge in the picture comes from the influence of the legend)

The bard later described it in exaggerated language: "Wallace strode forward with a sharp spear and entered the scuffle crowd." He aimed at the British general in shining breastplate ahead and threw a spear. As a result, the sharp spear directly penetrated the breastplate and pierced the other person's body, resulting in his death, even the man and the horse fell to the ground. "

The Battle of Stirling Bridge in Braveheart is different from history and has become a typical battle of plain infantry and cavalry. )

When the battle ended in a one-sided way, the British left more than 5,000 bodies and retreated to the south bank. The Scots proved that the most powerful heavy cavalry in the Middle Ages could be defeated by poorly equipped infantry as long as the tactics were reasonable and the command was proper.

This victory inspired the Scots to continue fighting. Wallace not only repelled the British, but also invaded England. Therefore, he became a "protector" and a veritable guardian of Scotland.

(Modern Scots commemorate the Battle of Stirling Bridge)

(6000 to 15000)

As for England, Edward I of England of England looked at the north coldly, and he quickly assembled an army of 15000 people, including 2500 cavalry (with armored cavalry). There are many Welsh recruits in the British army. Their country has just been conquered by England, and they have no sense of identity with the invaders, but many people have to join the army in order to escape the heavy debts they owe. Although their morale is not high, these people are good at longbows and are a force to be reckoned with.

(England, Wales) Longbowman was a powerful long-range force in medieval Europe, belonging to a single bow, usually made of yew or elm. Aim and shoot 6 times a minute, roughly shoot 12 times a minute, and the range of ordinary shooters is within 200 meters)

When the news reached Wallace, he knew very well the purpose of Edward's personal expedition. He had become a thorn in England's side. After careful consideration, Wallace did not intend to play hardball. He decided to avoid his sharp edge and wait until the British stopped short of food before hitting them back and kicking their ass.

Wallace is brave and resourceful, but his opponent is very strong.

Sure enough, although the British army entered central Scotland, they could not find Wallace's troops. And because of the bad weather, the supply fleet was postponed many times, which made the British army tired and hungry. Those Welsh who were forced to join were even more demoralized and full of complaints. Soon after, when the British army camped near Edinburgh, the Welsh people broke out in riots because of drunkenness. They don't want to fight, clamoring to go home. Edward I of England was furious and immediately sent cavalry to suppress it. As a result, 80 Welsh people were killed and many others were arrested.

At present, it seems that the prospect of the British army is bleak, and the end of shameful retreat is already in front of us. Wallace soon got the news, and the opportunity came! He quickly assembled 6000 Scottish soldiers (including 1000 light cavalry) and headed for Falkirk, ready to pursue the retreating invaders. At this moment, Edward I of England of England smiled: "Thank God ... they don't need to chase me, because I will face these guys personally, just today!" "

Edward I of England of England invaded Scotland with his army. He can be called the king of England. When he was in office, his national strength was strong and he was known as the hammer of Scotland. Therefore, the Scots have a poor evaluation of it)

1On July 22nd, 2998, the fighting started in Falkirk. Wallace knew that the English would rely on their heavy cavalry, so he strengthened the spear tactics of Scottish soldiers. As expected, the British cavalry really rushed in. They're not stupid. After finding a small swamp on the front, they chose to flank from the left and right.

In the early stage of the campaign, the British cavalry bypassed the swamp and attacked from left to right, but failed to win at one fell swoop.

Wallace immediately ordered the soldiers to put out four neat huge round spears (Schiltron), which later became known as the traditional Scottish round spears. This battle formation consists of rows of infantry standing in a hollow ring, holding spears nearly 4 meters long obliquely and protruding at different heights. When defending, the front row kneels with a spear, and the back row holds the spear horizontally or obliquely. Countless spear points are chilling, and there is no fear that cavalry will attack from all directions. Archers are distributed among the circular arrays, followed by light cavalry, which is powerful and unshakable.

(The Scottish spear array reappeared by military fans in modern history has not yet been arranged in a circle)

Before the war between the two armies, John Cumming, a Scottish nobleman, chose to retreat directly with his troops (this man and Robert are both competitors to the Scottish throne, and there is a huge contradiction). For whatever reason, this is tantamount to betraying Wallace and Scotland on the battlefield. The British cavalry quickly seized the gap in the Scottish position and broke into the house. Many Scottish archers were killed by enemy cavalry on the ground before they could move. However, the soldiers in the spear array are determined. Under Wallace's command, they used forest-like spears to resist each other's charge, which made the British heavy cavalry hit the stone wall, and people and horses were stabbed into beehives.

Brave heart: the image and armor of British heavy cavalry are different from history.

(The British cavalry was badly beaten in front of the round spear array)

Edward I of England arrived at the scene at this time, and he immediately stopped the reckless behavior of the cavalry. Sophisticated, he used the tactics of defeating Welsh spearmen three years ago and began to mobilize longbowmen to advance from the front. Seeing this, Wallace knew that he must not let the threatening opponent take his hand calmly, so he immediately ordered the Scottish light cavalry to go out and prepare to prevent the British long archers from taking their place. Unexpectedly, the Scottish cavalry rushed to the intercepted British heavy cavalry and saw that the other side was outnumbered. As soon as they met, they fled the battlefield in fear and left the infantry spearmen on the battlefield.

Not only did Kang Ming escape with his men, but the cavalry also ran away, and Wallace and his soldiers were trapped in an isolated battle. British longbowmen lined up across four large Scottish circular arrays in turn, and now nothing can interfere with their deaths.

(Long archers are generally responsible for suppressing shooting and using the falling force of arrows to kill or weaken opponents)

"Archers ~ in position ~" Thousands of sharp arrows are simultaneously wound, pointing to the 45-degree sky. The huge and inflexible circular array is their living target, and closing their eyes may not miss the target.

"shoot!" A roar conveyed a clear command, neat bowstrings sounded, and dense arrows and rain fell into the Scottish array with overwhelming force. Screams came one after another, and the spearmen who lacked armor protection seemed to be hit by hail and fell down one after another. The Welsh shoot arrows at the speed of 12 to 14 per minute, just like cutting the blood vessels of the Scottish army and letting them bleed to death in torture. Scottish archers tried to fight back, but they soon found that the long archers of the British army were shooting intermittently, and crossbows and stones kept coming.

(Scottish infantry spearmen are isolated and supported by English longbowmen)

The powerful round spear array is now full of weaknesses. Soldiers carry spears, some carry shields, but many don't have armor to wear, which can't form the intensive tortoise shell protection of the Romans in the past. Coupled with the lack of mobility, nowhere to escape, and threatened by the other cavalry, they had to be passively beaten under the rain of arrows, and the casualties continued to increase.

(a model representing the Scottish ring spear array)

British heavy cavalry dare not charge at will now. They learned their lesson and kept looking at the king's direction, waiting for further orders. Edward I of England was in no hurry. While letting the longbowmen shoot, he ordered the infantry to steadily advance to the Scottish lineup from both sides. Wallace was unlucky, and many Scottish spearmen were wounded by arrows, so they could only rely on willpower to support them, and the circular array was gradually unsustainable. The British infantry armed with swords and shields got closer and closer, and began to scuffle with the peripheral spearmen, stirring up the Scottish formation.

"cavalry, forward!" When the time came, Edward I of England of England finally gave the order. The heavy cavalry couldn't hold back for a long time, and immediately rushed at the opponent. The Scots fought to the death, and many excellent soldiers fell, including Wallace's deputy and several reliable anti-Japanese nobles. Seeing that the overall situation is set, Wallace can only try to save his life. He tried to gather the remnants and fled to the Torwood forest in the north. Relying on the cover of complex terrain, Scottish soldiers were saved from being completely annihilated.

(Scottish nobles have their own ghosts, and Wallace is powerless.)

More than 2000 people died in Scotland in this war, which is equivalent to the loss of the British army. But the British won by sheer numbers. Edward I of England of England proved the ability of his generation of kings with excellent on-the-spot command, while Wallace fell into failure because of the inconsistency among Scottish nobles.

1Sept. 298, in view of the plummeting military prestige, Wallace resigned as the Scottish lord protector. He continued to support the possible candidate for the future Scottish king, namely the 24-year-old young aristocrat Roibert Briuis.

(Brave Heart) Robert is portrayed as a young and indecisive man who betrayed Wallace. Very different from history)

Although Robert is very young, he secretly participated in the resistance movement as early as the beginning of the English invasion, and gathered his subordinate knights and subjects. Robert announced to people like this: "No one can control his own flesh and blood in such hatred, and I am no exception. I must join my own people and the country where I was born. Please come with me, you will be my assistants and close partners! "

Edward I of England of England understood the importance of wooing Scottish aristocrats, so he asked Robert to support himself by urgent letter. As a result, Robert didn't agree. He had led his men to launch a rebellion. Due to the strength gap and inexperience, the action organized by young Robert failed and he was forced to swear allegiance to England. Encouraged by Wallace's victory at Stirling Bridge, Robert continued to secretly prepare for resistance. When Wallace was defeated by Edward, Robert got into trouble.

(In Braveheart, Robert's acting skills are excellent from the perspective of the script, which shows his complex feelings for Wallace and his weakness for the real political situation. )

After Wallace resigned, he went to France to get aid for the Scottish independence struggle, but the French only paid lip service to it and kept a wait-and-see attitude. The freedom of Scotland can only continue to depend on itself. After returning home, he resolutely continued to lead a small group of troops to wage guerrilla warfare against the English occupation forces, while England sent spies everywhere to inquire about his movements.

In Braveheart, Wallace and Robert have a special relationship. There is not much overlap between them in history, but Robert is greatly influenced by Wallace.

1305 On August 5, near Glasgow, John de Menteith, a Scottish knight and police chief loyal to the British army, captured the Scottish hero who was resting in peace at night through the rebellion of Wallace's servant Jack Short.

After being closely guarded and transported to London, England tried Wallace for treason. He calmly replied, "I never betrayed Edward because I never became his subject."

(oil painting, at Westminster court, Wallace made a generous speech)

Of course, the trial is just a formality. Edward I of England of England undoubtedly believed that Wallace was now equivalent to the Scottish resistance, so he chose the most cruel way to execute him, trying to warn all those who dared to resist English rule.

(Painting, Wallace on the execution ground)

On August 23, the streets of London were crowded, and men, women and children from all over the world gathered here, some gloating, some surprised and some dignified. I saw Wallace stripped naked in the middle of the road dragged by a horse. After crossing the city to the downtown, the executioner hanged Wallace. When his neck was tortured by the noose for a long time, the executioner put it down again, then brutally cut off his genitals, cut open his stomach and pulled out his internal organs. Burn Wallace's intestines in front of the dying man. Finally, the head was cut off and the body was cut into four pieces.

(Famous Scene)

Such a tyrannical execution method shocked even Londoners who were used to beheading, and sometimes voices broke out in the crowd, and sometimes they suddenly fell silent. After the ground was covered with blood, the executioner soaked Wallace's head in tar and inserted it on the spear of London Bridge. Four human remains were sent to England and Scotland for display, as if to show off England's great victory.

Was Scotland conquered? Edward I of England was so contemptuous of the Highlanders that when Wallace's mutilated body hung in front of the Scots, he didn't know how fierce his burning anger was.

(Shortly after the film "The King of Luxury" started shooting, the British army showed the Scots Wallace's broken arm. )

Roibert Briuis, a young contender for the Scottish throne, witnessed the public's anger. He stepped up his planning again and decided to fight to the death with the most powerful army in the western world, even if he put everything on himself. This "brave heart" began to beat violently and was about to usher in his indomitable struggle for Scotland.

(End of the first half)

Everyone dies, but not everyone really lives.

Wallace became the patron saint of Scots forever.

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