Stirling mcilwaine biography of william

Edward proceeded to take steps to progressively undermine John's authority, treating Scotland as a feudal vassal state, demanding homage be paid towards himself and military support in his war against France—even summoning King John Balliol to stand before the English court as a common plaintiff. The Scots soon tired of their deeply compromised king, and the direction of affairs was allegedly taken out of his hands by the leading men of the kingdom, who appointed a Council of Twelve—in practice, a new panel of Guardians—at Stirling in July They went on to conclude a treaty of mutual assistance with France—known in later years as the Auld Alliance.

By July, Edward had instructed his officers to receive formal homage from some 1, Scottish nobles many of the rest being prisoners of war at that time. Some historians [ who? Campaigns like Edward I of England's wars in Wales might have provided a good opportunity for a younger son of a landholder to become a mercenary soldier.

Walter Bower 's midth-century Scotichronicon , states that Wallace was "a tall man with the body of a giant The first act definitely known to have been carried out by Wallace was his killing of William de Heselrig , the English High Sheriff of Lanark, in May This was one of several rebellions taking place across Scotland, including those of several Scottish nobles and Andrew Moray in the north.

The uprising suffered a blow when the nobles submitted to the English at Irvine in July. Wallace and Moray were not involved and continued their rebellions. Wallace used the Ettrick Forest as a base for raiding and attacked Wishart 's palace at Ancrum. Wallace and Moray met and joined their forces, possibly at the siege of Dundee in early September.

Although vastly outnumbered, the Scottish army routed the English army. John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey 's feudal army of 3, cavalry and 8, to 10, infantry met disaster as they crossed over to the north side of the river. The narrowness of the bridge prevented many soldiers from crossing together possibly as few as three men abreast , so, while the English soldiers crossed, the Scots held back until half of them had passed and then killed the English as quickly as they could cross.

The Scots' schiltron formations forced the infantry back into the advancing cavalry. A pivotal charge, led by one of Wallace's captains, caused some of the English soldiers to retreat as others pushed forward, and under the overwhelming weight, the bridge collapsed, and many English soldiers drowned. Thus, the Scots won a significant victory, boosting the confidence of their army.

Hugh de Cressingham , Edward's treasurer in Scotland, died in the fighting and it is reputed that his body was subsequently flayed , and the skin cut into small pieces as tokens of the victory. The Lanercost Chronicle records that Wallace had "a broad strip [of Cressingham's skin] Moray died of wounds suffered on the battlefield sometime in late Wallace soon mounted an invasion of northern England, crossing into Northumberland.

The Scots army followed the English army fleeing south. Caught between two armies, hundreds of refugees fled to safety behind the walls of Newcastle. The Scots laid waste a swathe of countryside before turning west into Cumberland and pillaging all the way to Cockermouth , before Wallace led his men back into Northumberland and fired villages.

Wallace then returned from England laden with booty. In a ceremony, at the 'Kirk o' the Forest' Selkirk , towards the end of the year, Wallace was knighted.

Stirling mcilwaine biography of william

In April , Edward ordered a second invasion of Scotland. Two days prior to the battle 25, foot soldiers were paid. More than half of them would have been Welsh. There are no clear cut sources for the presence of cavalry, but it is safe to assume that Edward had roughly 1, horse under his command. The English quartermasters ' failure to prepare for the expedition left morale and food supplies low, and a resulting riot within Edward's own army had to be put down by his cavalry.

In July, while planning a return to Edinburgh for supplies, Edward received intelligence that the Scots were encamped nearby at Falkirk, and he moved quickly to engage them in the pitched battle he had long hoped for. Wallace arranged his spearmen in four schiltrons —circular, defensive hedgehog formations, probably surrounded by wooden stakes connected with ropes, to keep the infantry in formation.

The English, however, employed Welsh longbowmen , who swung tactical superiority in their favour. The English proceeded to attack with cavalry and put the Scottish archers to flight. The Scottish cavalry withdrew as well, due to its inferiority to the English heavy horses. Edward's men began to attack the schiltrons, which were still able to inflict heavy casualties on the English cavalry.

It remains unclear whether the infantry shooting bolts, arrows and stones at the spearmen proved the deciding factor, although it is very likely that it was the arrows of Edward's bowmen. Gaps in the schiltrons soon appeared, and the English exploited these to crush the remaining resistance. The Scots lost many men, including John de Graham.

Wallace escaped, though his military reputation suffered badly. Details of Wallace's activities after this are vague, but there is some evidence that he left on a mission to the court of King Philip IV of France to plead the case for assistance in the Scottish struggle for independence. There is a surviving letter from the French king dated 7 November to his envoys in Rome demanding that they should help Sir William.

By Wallace was back in Scotland and involved in skirmishes at Happrew and Earnside. Wallace evaded capture by the English until 5 August , when John de Menteith , a Scottish knight loyal to Edward, turned Wallace over to English soldiers at Robroyston, near Glasgow, a site commemorated by a small monument in the form of a Celtic cross. Wallace was transported to London and taken to Westminster Hall.

The men also face trying times when a second unit and a wave of new recruits arrive. Without revealing any spoilers, Paddy Mayne and William Stirling encounter each other under difficult circumstances, and both characters are based on real-life war heroes. Also referred to as Penforce, the unit carried out a range of operations across Italy and the Balkans.

Lieutenant-Colonel Stirling was subsequently captured by Axis forces in North Africa and despite being a prisoner of war, he continued to exhibit exceptional leadership. After his capture, he took command of a second SAS unit, guiding the unit towards his original vision of conducting parachute operations behind enemy lines to collect crucial intelligence.

Bill Stirling is often hailed in historical accounts as the "brains behind the operation" when it comes to the SAS. Don't miss We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time.

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