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拍品专文
WILLIAM WALLACE
To the Scots, William Wallace was an example of unbending commitment to Scotland's independence who died a martyr to the cause. To the English chroniclers he was an outlaw, a murderer, the perpetrator of atrocities and a traitor. In 1296 Scotland had been conquered but the flames of revolt soon spread across Scotland. Wallace's rising gained momentum, amongst those 'oppressed by the burden of servitude under the intolerable rule of English domination'. With most of Scotland liberated, on the 11th September Wallace achieved a resounding victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Now 'Commander of the Army of the Kingdom of Scotland' - the outlaw Wallace was now knighted and made Guardian of Scotland in Balliol's. It was a remarkable achievement for a mere knight to hold power over the nobles of Scotland and letters were dispatched to Europe proclaiming Scotland's renewed independence. Militarily he took the war into the north of England, raiding around Newcastle and wreaking havoc across the north. Contemporary English chroniclers accused him of atrocities, some no doubt warranted, but in Wallace's eyes the war, since its beginning, had been marked by brutality and butchery.
To the Scots, William Wallace was an example of unbending commitment to Scotland's independence who died a martyr to the cause. To the English chroniclers he was an outlaw, a murderer, the perpetrator of atrocities and a traitor. In 1296 Scotland had been conquered but the flames of revolt soon spread across Scotland. Wallace's rising gained momentum, amongst those 'oppressed by the burden of servitude under the intolerable rule of English domination'. With most of Scotland liberated, on the 11th September Wallace achieved a resounding victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Now 'Commander of the Army of the Kingdom of Scotland' - the outlaw Wallace was now knighted and made Guardian of Scotland in Balliol's. It was a remarkable achievement for a mere knight to hold power over the nobles of Scotland and letters were dispatched to Europe proclaiming Scotland's renewed independence. Militarily he took the war into the north of England, raiding around Newcastle and wreaking havoc across the north. Contemporary English chroniclers accused him of atrocities, some no doubt warranted, but in Wallace's eyes the war, since its beginning, had been marked by brutality and butchery.