Braveheart - WALLACE BETRAYED

History tells us that William Wallace was betrayed (by whom we’re not really sure) at, or near, a place in Scotland called Robroyston. To this day, at Robroyston, a monument stands to this hero of the Scots. Click on the image for a better view.

By 1305, Wallace was back in Scotland, near Glasgow. On or about August 3, 1305 he was purportedly betrayed by his own servant, Jack Short, and a Scottish Baron who had been on the side of the Scots, Sir John Menteith. (It is not definitively clear, however, by whom Wallace was actually betrayed.)

In exchange for becoming Earl of Lennox, Menteith apparently told the English where Wallace was located—at Robroyston. It is said that his last drink of water, as a free man, was at this well. Edward now had his man.

And the English, led to believe that Wallace was an outlaw who killed innocent English people, had their spectacle. Seven hundred years later, the "trial" of William Wallace remains a judicial sham.

It would not do, of course, to try Wallace in Scotland. What good would that accomplish? How could Edward make a public example of a "traitor" in the traitor's own country?

Even though Wallace was originally taken to the castle of Dumbarton (on the Firth of Clyde), the trial would take place in London, where it would have the most impact on the most people.

Trial had to occur in a place where the English king could send a clear message: This is what happens if you try to resist my will.