Scottish historian David Ross (C) from the Society of William Wallace walks, dressed in tartan, along Fleet Street in central London retracing the final steps of Scotland's William 'Braveheart' Wallace who was hung at Smithfield
Posted on 08/24/2005 3:10:49 AM PDT by ajolympian2004
By Gideon Long Tue Aug 23,11:52 AM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - Seven hundred years to the day after Scottish hero William "Braveheart" Wallace was executed by his English foes, a historian has retraced his final journey to promote his dream of independence for Scotland.
David Ross, who has written books on Wallace and other Scottish national heroes, strode from Westminster through the old City of London on Tuesday wearing a kilt and carrying a sword.
Accompanied by around 100 supporters, many playing bagpipes and waving the blue-and-white Scottish flag, Ross ended his journey at Smithfield, where Wallace was butchered by his English captors on August 23, 1305.
There, Ross led a ceremony inside the 12th century church of St Bartholomew's in honor of the man immortalized by Mel Gibson in the 1995 Hollywood blockbuster "Braveheart."
"It's been a great day and long overdue," Ross told Reuters as he marched through London past bemused onlookers. "In 700 years no one has ever done anything to recognize the man."
Over the past three weeks, Ross has walked 450 miles (725 km) from Scotland to London in a bid to reconstruct Wallace's last fateful journey from his homeland.
The warrior, lauded in Scotland for uniting his compatriots to fight English rule, was captured in the village of Robroyston on August 3, 1305, and hauled to London over the next 20 days to be tried for treason.
Found guilty, he was tied to a horse and dragged through the streets of the capital in front of crowds of baying Londoners.
After being hanged and disemboweled, the 35-year-old's body was hacked to pieces and his head was impaled on a spike near London Bridge as a warning to other rebels.
The killing helped King Edward I of England, known as the "Hammer of the Scots" for his brutal campaigns north of the border, retain a grip on power in Scotland.
Wallace was never given a proper burial and Ross says he wanted Tuesday's event to be primarily a solemn funeral service, although he said it had political significance too.
"Our country is still ruled from somewhere else," he said, referring to the British parliament. "It's time the leaders in Scotland woke up and listened to what the people want."
Opinion polls in recent years suggest between a quarter and a half of Scotland's 5 million people want the same independence from London which Wallace fought for seven centuries ago.
Scotland and England were rival feudal nations for years until first their monarchies and then their political systems were melded together between the 17th and 18th centuries.
A Scottish parliament was established in Edinburgh in 1999 but the nation remains within the United Kingdom.
Opinion polls in recent years suggest between a quarter and a half of Scotland's 5 million people want the same independence from London which Wallace fought for seven centuries ago.
The pestilence that remains the "informal" british empire continues to plague the UK, and unfortunately, the rest of the planet as well.
..and some would say this..
...while I personally will go with this...gif)
.
Scotland The Brave!
I'll see if I can get any personal account news about the event when he gets back.
As power builds in the far east America and EU countries are doing their best to knock their own countries down.
A fragmented UK will greatly damage our support in WW IV.
You're up early.
Must be that good Scottish ancestry that beckons and calls.
For your Celtic ping list.
Uhh...hellooo! Movie. "Braveheart". Sound familiar Mr. Ross?
Great article. Thanks for the ping.
OK Karen... the obligatory picture of Mel?
ya know?
Yeah, duty calls at 0600 this week!
Right now, I'm waiting for patients to come in, sipping my Vente Starbucks Colombian with a shot 'o eye opener in it.
And talking about Mel, uh...William Wallace, with my one of my bestest Freeper pals :)
Ah, what a great day it's starting out to be ;)
Here's a strange. When we were in Indiana for the second of three weddings, the Maid of Honor gave the toast:
"And dying in your beds many years from now, you would be willing to trade one chance, just one chance..."
It left the room a bit confused, as you can imagine.
"It's time the leaders in Scotland woke up and listened to what the people want." Opinion polls in recent years suggest between a quarter and a half of Scotland's 5 million people want the same independence..."
Sounds like the leaders in Scotland have a lot better hearing than Ross.
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Here here!
Wallace?
Indeed.
Still working at school.
Not as far as I would like at this point, but am getting there.
Did I tell you we flew over your fair state last Saturday?
Leaving Dulles, heading to O'Hare in Chicago, we were diverted to New York because of a storm front hitting the Midwest, south of Chicago.
Closest I've been to New York at this point. For awhile I thought they were going to send us to LaGuardia.
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