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William Wallace And The Scottish Knight Essay

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William Wallace will always be remembered as being one of the men who sacrificed himself completely for his country. “He fought not only for freedom, but also for every human 's right to own land, personal property, and the pursuit of a better existence.” (Ryan, P.2) Sir William Wallace, a Scottish knight, was one of the main figureheads in Scotland’s fight for independence. Although Scotland is still united with England, Wales, and Northern Ireland in what is known today as the United Kingdom, it still is, technically, its own separate country; this was not always the case. In the late 12th century, Scotland was under complete rule by the English king, known as Edward “Long Shanks”. By the early 13th century, England and Scotland were at total war. Scotland was being ruled at the time by a four year old girl, overseen by council members until she was to become of age, and the Scottish nobility was very weak. This made Scotland a sitting target for the English monarchy to take over.
Although he did not live to see the day it actually happened, William Wallace did fight for his county’s independence. He did not win his country’s freedom peacefully, however. William Wallace was said to be a savage for slaughtering men by the thousands, sometimes not just in battle, but pure revenge. English soldiers murdered innocent Scottish women and children, including Wallace’s wife. Which was said to have triggered his need to finally fight against the English.

William Wallace was

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