Anniversary of William Wallace's death (23/8)

[pilchardman]

Does it hold any significance for you?

[jugularvein]

unfortunately it just reminds of a shit film. sad eh?

[Onket]

I've just seen a shit load of people, some waving flags & some dressed in kilts, walking through the city (London). Could it be to do with this?

[stroober]

Couldnae care tbh :rolleyes:

[bertifrew]

Wallace is part of scottish history, and as such I have some patriotic feelings about him.
If it only reminds you of a shite film, Maybe you should read a book instead of looking toward hollywood for our history. On the subject of the film, It was ahollywood movie, not a documentary. I get abit annoyed by folk shouting about hoiw the film was not historicaly right, and Mel gibson had a bad weegie accent. So? It was a film!!!. It has very little to do with the real story.

[cathal marcs]

A brave courageous patriot indeed.

Beidh ár lá linn!

[jugularvein]

I get abit annoyed by folk shouting about hoiw the film was not historicaly right, and Mel gibson had a bad weegie accent. So? It was a film!!!. It has very little to do with the real story.

......


i've deleted this as it would be a shame that the thread would be distracted by said shite film but don't patronise me. and you repeat what annoys you :confused: do you annoy yourself? or is it only you who is allowed to say it doesn't have anything to do with history?

[Belushi]

The film was so historically incorrect as to be almost entirely fictional.

Tho' he did fight the English so hats off to him.

[bertifrew]

......


i've deleted this as it would be a shame that the thread would be distracted by said shite film but don't patronise me. QUOTE]

wit?
let me see what you deleted.
[QUOTE]is it only you who is allowed to say it doesn't have anything to do with history?
My point is, anyone can say what they like about the film, but the way most critics waffle on about how inacurate it is, you would think the film was made as a verbatum account of the life of the great man, and not as an action movie with lots of battle scenes(something that it does well). It's not a shite film if you look at it in that context.






oh and read a book sometime eh? :p

[pilchardman]

It truly mystifies me to hear of the people in tears in Spittlefield today. The tartanalia and pagentry. The flag waving and hero worship.

To me, Wallace is a part of history. Something we should know about. But he belongs firmly in his time. The worry is that people today seemed to think there was some kind of "lesson" in Wallace's life. Other than the effectiveness of guerilla warefare, I struggle to see what it might be.

Sometimes merit is made of the fact that Wallace was a small-time land owner, way down the feudal pecking order. But what was his role? To return to the throne de Bruce, a Norman overlord who backed whichever side he thought would give him and his class the greatest advantage; first Edward, then, when that appears to hold little personal or factional promise, he saw greater advantage in re-establishing a Scottish monarchy. It was yet another episode of bickering feudal elites. Not a struggle in the interests of "the people".

And Wallace saw all that as only natural. That there be the rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate. Put that right, and all was well with the world.

Interesting to learn about. But hardly any sort of template for the present. The idiot who walked from Glasgow to London is obviously the kind of nationalist who thinks Scotland's future is in its past.

To me, Wallace was just a guy who died 700 years ago.

[pilchardman]

For your information:

BBC Story. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4173980.stm)

[Karac]

Interesting stuff-seen William Wallaces memorial outside Barts Hospital loads of times.
The name Wallace is a corruption of "Welsh" so he was actually one of ours. :p
"Not a struggle in the interests of "the people"."-what do you expect? Che Guevara?
As you rightly say this was 700 years ago but he fought the good fight against foreign domination.

[pilchardman]

The name Wallace is a corruption of "Welsh" so he was actually one of ours. :p One theory is that it derives from his ancestral home: in Strathclyde, where the ancestor language of Welsh was spoken. His ancestors were therefore P-Celtic Britons.

Much of southern Scotland would have spoken that tongue before the successor waves of migration obliterated it. Indeed, the oldest surviving poem in "Welsh" was written in what we now call Edinburgh.

[pilchardman]

what do you expect? Che Guevara?In the 13th century? Clearly not. Which was kind of my point.

[bertifrew]

Wallace was a man of his time. he done what he felt he had to at the time. he wasnt held up as a hero 'till about 200 years after his death. If you look further back into our history there are other, probably more relevant, heros like Malcolm III and his wife Margaret(st maragaret). Margaret done more for scotland than Wallace, but she never killed any englishmen, so she'll probably never get the recognition he did.
Still wallace is a pretty major part of our history. If someone wants to remember him, then good on them.

[Red Faction]

Does it hold any significance for you?
the day before the feast of St. Bartholomew
Sir William Wallace was excecuted (or murdered, which ever you prefer)
outside St. Bartholomew's hospital in West Smithfield.
think its a little co-incidence :)