Battle of Falkirk (1298)

For the remainder of 1297 the now knighted Wallace and his army raided English towns to the south for supplies, which forced Edward to discontinue his negotiations with the French to once again deal with the troublesome rebel. Edward gathered the largest army assembled since the days of Agricola for the battle and met Wallace at Falkirk in 1298. Many nobles fled before the battle began to avoid fighting with Wallace. The Battle of Falkirk (1298) effectively crushed Scottish resistance, at least temporarily. Wallace was betrayed, captured by the English, hanged, drawn and quartered, and parts of his body were displayed in major towns in Scotland to warn others who might consider resisting English control. The strategy by Edward I had a whiplash effect. Scots were horrified at the hideous display of inhumanity shown by the English king. The Scottish people rallied to support Wallace's memory, honoring him as a hero who died fighting for Scottish liberty.