Wallace Executed: Scotland's Hero Dies at Smithfield
King Edward I of England ordered the execution of William Wallace at Smithfield, London, on August 23, 1305, after a show trial in Westminster Hall. Wallace was stripped naked, dragged through the streets behind a horse, hanged until nearly dead, then disemboweled, beheaded, and quartered. His head was dipped in tar and placed on a spike on London Bridge. His limbs were sent to Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling, and Perth as warnings. Wallace had been on the run since his defeat at Falkirk in 1298 and was betrayed by a Scottish knight loyal to Edward. The brutality of his execution backfired: rather than crushing Scottish resistance, it created a martyr whose memory fueled Robert the Bruce's successful fight for independence.
August 23, 1305
721 years ago
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