Always asserting they were a free and independent people, the Scots were crushed by Edward's military might in 1296. Longshanks (played by Patrick McGoohan in the film) had been helped by Scottish lords, loyal to Britain.

When John Balliol (the Scottish king) surrendered to the English, the Scots were outraged - then unmercifully taxed. They needed a hero to believe in so they could once again believe in themselves.

In the rugged land to the north, not everyone was willing to swear an oath of allegiance to the British monarch. Some Scots still coveted independence. The Wallace family was willing to risk deadly consequences for refusing to swear allegiance to an outsider. Malcolm Wallace (Sean Lawlor) paid the ultimate price when he was killed, by Lord Fenwick, on Louden Hill.

After the death of his father, William Wallace (Mel Gibson) actively resisted British rule. He wed Marian Braidfoot, according to legend, around 1297. After the sheriff of Lanark killed Marian (Catherine McCormack), Wallace dispatched the sheriff and attacked the town. Even Scottish nobles, who had sworn allegiance to Longshanks, backed Wallace with their hearts.

In this story behind the film, step back to the thirteenth century and examine Wallace’s famous two-handed sword. Go to Stirling Bridge, the scene of a famous battle, where Wallace and his men defeated Longshanks’ army. Meet Robert the Bruce, a Scottish noble who believed in Wallace and, after defeating the English at Bannockburn, became king of Scotland.

See the place where Wallace was captured, following his betrayal. Learn about the trial in which he was convicted of treason, then condemned. Meet Isabella of France, Longshank’s daughter-in-law who led a successful revolt against her husband, the ineffectual Edward II. And ... visit the places where Wallace’s body parts were sent after his gruesome execution.