Was Robert the Bruce a Traitor to Scotland and Wallace? The Truth About Braveheart

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Chapters:
0:00 The Truth About Braveheart
1:08 Bruce Sides with England
3:23 Did Bruce Betray Wallace?
5:20 Bruce Stabs His Rival, John Comyn
6:53 Was Bruce a Traitor?

In the film Braveheart, Robert the Bruce betrays William Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk. During a dramatic scene that reveals the betrayal, an anonymous English knight is stripped of his helmet after an exchange with Wallace, and is shockingly revealed to be Bruce. What a traitor, a…. Damn you Bruce.

We know however that Braveheart is no historical gospel. It may be good entertainment, perhaps really good entertainment after a few drams (or bottles of Bucky for those less civilised in the crowd), but it’s not historically accurate, and there is no evidence that supports the betrayal scene in the film.

Yet, when it comes to Bruce, I must not be the only person who has a lingering thought in the back of their mind that there was more to Bruce than the simplistic national hero argument. Who was this man, and is there any truth to the notion that was a traitor to Wallace and Scotland?

One thing that is clear about Bruce and his family is that they had clear political aspirations and were more willing to make concessions and change allegiances than others would be. In fact, early in the First Scottish War of Independence, Bruce and his father sided with England, no doubt as part of a political calculation, although Bruce did quickly switch allegiance to the Scottish side. Then in 1304, Bruce once again pledged fealty to Edward I, although he may have been forced to do so, as Wallace had been crushed and the spirit of rebellion was weak in Scotland at that moment.

These political calculations however speak to the broader fact that Bruce was a noble politician and member of a powerful family that had long-held aspirations for power. The desire for power did not start with Robert the Bruce. For instance, Bruce’s grandfather, Robert de Brus, the 5th Lord of Annandale and a feudal lord, was a claimant to the Scottish throne during the Great Cause. The Cause was sparked after the death of the 7-year-old Queen Margaret in 1290, who was destined for the Scottish throne, result in 13 different claimants vying for power, including Bruce’s grandfather. Following an arbitration process that lasted a few years and was led by none-other than Edward Longshanks, hardly an impartial arbitrator, John Balliol became King of Scots in 1292 and reigned until 1296. Bruce’s grandfather had missed his opportunity to be King of Scotland.

Did Bruce betray Wallace?

First things first, the scene described earlier in Braveheart at the Battle of Falkirk is not supported by any historical evidence. One episode that has drawn some criticism from the purists however relates to Bruce’s treatment of Wallace’s capturer. In 1305, Wallace was captured by John Menteith, a Scottish nobleman and keeper of Dumbarton Castle. Wallace was then handed over to the English, and went on to be hung, drawn, and quartered.

Sources:

Scotsman - Robert the Bruce: myths busted https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/art...

Robert the Bruce, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...

Smithsonian Magazine, The True Story of Robert the Bruce, Scotland’s ‘Outlaw King’ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/histor...

Creative Commons Imagery:

Sodacan https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Colin Smith / The Maid of Norway / CC BY-SA 2.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

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