William Wallace : the man and the myth /
Chris Brown.
- Revised and updated edition.
- 255 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some colour), maps ; 20 cm.
Previous edition: London: Tempus, 2005.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Machine generated contents note: 1.William Wallace, Knight of Scotland -- 2.Of Noble Kin: the Society of William Wallace -- 3.The Roots of the War -- 4.From Gangster to Governor -- 5.The Battle of Stirling Bridge -- 6.From Victory to Ignominy -- 7.Exile and Defiance -- 8.But What Was It All For? -- 9.Death and Immortality.
William Wallace of Elderslie, younger son of a country knight, came to fame through his active opposition to the aggressive imperialism of England's King Edward I. From political and social obscurity he seized control of the reins of government and became the first leader of his people in a war of liberation against a far larger and richer enemy - England - that would last for more than sixty years. With little or no experience in the business of government or of war, William Wallace was able to achieve command, but proved unable to retain it in the face of battlefield defeat. In this updated edition of his groundbreaking work, Chris Brown cuts through the myths still perpetuated today to produce a biography driven by contemporary medieval records rather than Victorian legends and present an accurate portrait of the life and career of Scotland's greatest hero.