William Wallace

Short History Of...

Noiser

History

4.7 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 15 November 2021

⏱️ ? minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Despised by the English, mistrusted by the Scottish nobles, and revered by his countrymen: William Wallace is synonymous with the battle for Scottish freedom. But scratch away at the legend, and even the most basic details are disputed. Where he was born, who he married, and what he did after his famous battle at Stirling Bridge. Thanks to the brutal nature of his death, he doesn’t even have a grave. What can we really know about the man immortalised by the poets? Was he anything like the warrior depicted in ‘Braveheart’? And what does his legacy tell us about the people of Scotland who idolize him to this day? This is a Short History of William Wallace. Written by Jo Furniss. With thanks to Graeme Morton, Professor of Modern History and Director of the Centre for Scottish Culture at the University of Dundee, and author of William Wallace: Man and Myth. For ad-free listening, exclusive content and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Now available for Apple and Android users. Click the Noiser+ banner on Apple or go to noiser.com/subscriptions to get started with a 7-day free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	It's the winter 1297.
0:04.0	A man marches through a Scottish forest.
0:08.0	It's bitterly cold.
0:10.0	Frozen branches of heather and bracken snap beneath the boots as if he's walking on glass.
0:17.0	But the man doesn't feel the chill.
0:20.0	He feels invincible.
0:22.0	He feels like a king.
0:24.0	His name is William Wallace.
0:28.0	And today he will become well-not-king.
0:32.0	But the closest that Scotland has to learn, born at its own soil.
0:38.0	He strides fast as he always does, at a pace that leaves the other man behind.
0:45.0	He knows every glen, every stream, every hollow where an outlook can hide in this vast caledonian forest.
0:53.0	His survival thus far has depended on it.
0:57.0	Now he stops beside an ancient pine that marks a bend in the path.
1:03.0	The smell of sap puts him in mind his wife,
1:07.0	the way she would set a wick in a pine root to send their bedgamber.
1:12.0	He wishes her memory away, tonight should be about the future of the past.
1:19.0	And yet, would he give it all up to see her alive?
1:24.0	No, he would not.
1:27.0	She died not for him, but for the cause.
1:31.0	Scotland ruled by scots.
1:35.0	If only the Scottish nobles had half her conviction.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Noiser, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Noiser and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.