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→Revolt Against the English
After the murder of the sheriff, Wallace took some time to organize his forces, as other parts of Scotland began to rebel and side with the spreading rebellion. While Wallace was portrayed as the leader in this revolt, several people, in addition to Wallace, began to lead the early rebellion. The first major battle William Wallace fought in was the Battle of Sterling Bridge, which occurred on September 11, 1297. This battle was a turning point as it gave Wallace his fighting reputation. In the movie, the English are tricked into marching their heavy cavalry into a trap, with the resulting infantry slaughtered in a futile charge.<ref>For more on the Battle of Sterling Bridge and Wallace's role, see: Magnusson, M. (2001). Scotland: the story of a nation (Paperback ed). London: HarperCollins.</ref> In reality, the battle was won by the Scottish because the English became trapped on Sterling Bridge, where they were not able to use their superior numbers. Many English soldiers fell in the river and likely died from drowning as the bridge may have collapsed during the battle. The victory by Wallace may have largely occurred because the English assumed Wallace would let them cross the bridge, as that may have been considered more in line with the rules of war or assumed rules at the time. In effect, Wallace may have won because he simply didn't follow this rule, realizing the narrowing of the bridge could be used to his advantage and launching the attack as the English tried to cross.
It was after the battle that Wallace was likely named as guardian of the kingdom in March 1298.<ref>For more on how Wallace became guarding of Scotland, see: Murison, A. F. (2003). William Wallace: guardian of Scotland. Mineola, N.Y: Dover Publications.</ref> In the movie, the noblemen are seen as less than trusting of Wallace and more willing to give the English their loyalty. More likely, much of Scotland was in open revolt, although parts of it did stay under English control and there were noblemen loyal to the English. Notably, Edinburgh and its well fortified castle remained in English hands. After a major raid into northern England, where in the movie York is suggested to have been sacked, although this likely did not happen, Wallace went back into Scotland. The raids of northern England in 1297 by Wallace may have been momentous and much destruction is suggested by contemporary chroniclers.<ref>For more on these raids, see: Brown, C. (2014). William Wallace: the man and the myth.</ref> The raids were designed to provoke the English and undermine their authority. This forced Edward's hand into mounting a more serious invasion into Scotland. After a period where a large English army then gathered to invade Scotland, where the Scots mostly contended with raiding these forces, a pitched battle finally occurred at the Battle of Falkirk on July 22, 1298. Edward saw his chance their as the Scots willingly gave him battle rather than continue their raiding of English forces. This time, and similar to the movie, the Scots were decimated by English longbowmen.<ref>For more on the Battle of Falkirk, see: Henty, G. A. (2002). In freedom’s cause: a story of Wallace and Bruce. Mineola, N.Y: Dover.</ref> However, it is very unlikely that the Robert the Bruce, future king of Scotland and leader of the Scottish revolt, betrayed Wallace, as suggested in the movie. In fact, the movie suggests rather than Wallace's failure, it was a lack of Scottish support that cost him the battle. More likely, the main failure of the battle may have been poor planning on the part of Wallace, who may have done better by simply harassing the English forces from a distance rather than face a far larger enemy in open combat. After the battle, he may have been so humiliated that he willing resigned his role as guarding of Scotland or was stripped of this title.
==Death of William Wallace==
