Petra Lopes

Mr. Gwin
AP World History
18 December 2015
Braveheart Analysis

Summary:
Braveheart is set in 1250 AD Scotland. During this time Scotland is ruled by
King Edward Longshanks, a tyrant. Because of his oppressive rule many died-including the protagonists father and brother. William Wallace, the main character, is
then fostered by his uncle, Argyle. Wallace initially led a pacific lifestyle. He fell in love
with a childhood friend, Murron. They get married in secret to avoid the consequences
of the jus prima noctis. An English soldier then tries to rape her, but Wallace kills him.
While escaping, Murron is captured and killed. This spurs Wallace to start a revolt, and
together with some other clans they kill the magistrate that killed his wife. Because the
Scottish were unhappy with King Edwards rule, they come to Wallaces aid.
A series of revolts are sparked because of him. He leads them in many victories
such as the Battle of Stirling and the raiding of York. While raiding York they kill King
Edwards nephew and send him the head. However, in the Battle of Falkirk he is
betrayed and defeated by the Scottish nobility. Before this battle, King Edward sends
Princess Isabelle (a Frenchwoman) to appease Wallace. He hopes that Wallace kills her
and prompts the King of France to join the war against Wallace. Unfortunately, Princess
Isabelle falls in love with Wallace and warns him of an invasion. During this battle two
Scottish noblemen betray Wallace, and they end up losing.

For his safety, he hides himself. Eventually Wallace kills the two noblemen that
betrayed him and for the next seven years wars with the English. At the same time,
Isabelle and Wallace become romantically involved, and Isabelle becomes pregnant
with his child. Wallace is later tried for treason and tortured publicly-- even being
disemboweled alive. The magistrate offers him a quick death if he pleads Mercy! but
instead Wallace cries, Freedom! He is decapitated.
In 1314, Robert the Bruce, the new Scottish king, rides to accept the English
rule. Remembering Wallace, he bids his army fight with him. He then leads his armies
into battle surprising the English and Scotland gains its freedom.

Inaccuracies:
In 2009, The Times listed Braveheart as the second most inaccurate movie.
Despite many YouTube critics reveling in the sheer, untainted love of Murron and
Wallace, and despite all of its awards, Mel Gibson renounced historical accuracy for the
sake of a more appealing movie. Gibson used Blind Harrys The Acts and Deeds of Sir
William Wallace, Knight of Elderslie as his primary inspiration. Today, the epic poem
is considered historically inaccurate.

There were many props used in the movie that were anachronistic. For instance,
kilts became popularized towards the end of the 16th century. William Wallaces
lifespan was between 1270-1305. This means it wouldve been impossible for him to
have worn a kilt. Additionally, soldiers at that time had no uniform. Most were too poor
to afford sturdy armour and often just wore the coat of arms to indicate whose side they
were on. Similarly, the plaited belt came a little before the kilt so they wouldnt have

worn it in Wallaces time period. Also, the face paint he used during war was no longer
in use. The Scots did use woad (the dye) but by then it had fallen out of use.
There is much controversy about the legitimacy of the jus primae noctis. Jus
primae noctis was a right given to nobles to rape peasant women this means that if a
peasant woman got married to another peasant, the noble could prevent the peasant man
from consummating the marriage. Despite many mentions of it throughout history (from
Herodotus to Voltaire), most of them werent scholastic-- meaning the idea of the jus
primae noctis was often used for dramatic appeal.
In the beginning of the movie, watchers get the idea that Wallace comes from a
humble home and is in a lower social class. In reality, Wallace was born into a gentry
family, he was probably even knighted by then. This means that socially, he was right
below the nobles. His wife, Murron, was actually Marian. Gibson decided to name her
Murron so that watchers wouldnt confuse her with Robin Hoods Marian. Another
character that was inaccurately portrayed was Princess Isabella. Born in 1295, her
romantic relationship with Wallace wouldve been absurd-- unless he was a pedophile.
The Battle of Falkirk took place in 1298, meaning she wouldve been 3 years old and
unable to warn him of the invasion. Additionally, since they never met, she wouldnt
have been able to have his child. King Edwards portrayal in Braveheart is arguable. For
cinematic purposes his poorer qualities were exaggerated. While being volatile,
Wikipedia claims he enjoyed poetry and harp music. Despite his explosive behaviour,
he contributed greatly to his kingdom. He reformed the government by expanding the
administration. He believed that his authority should be used for the good of the many.
And while Prince Edwards sexuality is debatable, his father never killed any of his
sons lovers.

As the name suggest, the Battle of Stirling Bridge took place in a bridge. The
bridge wasnt wide enough, so about two horses could walk through at a time. The
Scottish used to this advantage and killed the English cavalry as they crossed. In the
movie however, there is no bridge. At least Gibson acknowledged that it was an error. In
the movie, the Scottish surrounds the English and win.
Lastly, and perhaps the most excusable error, was the toning down of
Wallaces death. The movie did not explicitly portray all the torture Wallace underwent
he wasnt castrated and his organs were not displayed. Furthermore, it has not been
proven that Wallaces last words were freedom Its understandable that Gibson would
want to give the main character a heroic, glorious death though.
In conclusion, Braveheart should be watched for its historical accuracy but
rather for its dramatic appeal. It was very loosely based on factual evidence, and Mel
Gibson seemed to opt for a more engaging film for watchers. In his defense however,
many events and facts are obscure, so his filming choicesat some pointsarent
completely unrealistic and most often, the purpose of movies are for entertainment and
income, not accuracy.

Works Cited

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/wallace_william.shtml
http://www.scottishhistory.com/articles/independence/braveheart.html
https://thehande.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/braveheart-the-10-historical-inaccuraciesyou-need-to-know-before-watching-the-movie/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_kilt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belted_plaid
http://britannia.com/history/biographies/isabella_france.html
http://www.scottish-history.com/falkirk.shtml
http://io9.gizmodo.com/5944619/true-or-false-noblemen-had-the-right-to-sleep-withany-woman-on-her-wedding-night
http://www.medieval-spell.com/Roles-Of-Women-In-The-Middle-Ages.html