prowess continue — there is, even allowing for hero-worship, enough evidence to show his personal fighting skills, though historians disagree on his expertise with commanding large bodies of men, claiming Moray was the one with this (being a noble born and so trained to it). They offer as proof of this, the glorious victory of Stirling Bridge with Moray present, and the disaster at Falkirk, organized by Wallace alone. This seems dubious to me — if nothing else, what few documents we have reveal Wallace as a man who, if not skilled in diplomacy and dealing with foreign interests, had the wit to surround himself with those who did. Similarly, he would not be short of experts in the grand tactics of the age — but no battle ever goes to plan. If you look closely at the battle at Falkirk, it becomes clear that even the victor, King Edward 1, greatest warrior general in Christendom, badly mismanaged the affair himself and almost lost control of his knights. Ironically, of course, it was Wallace’s own brigand tactics that became the norm for Scottish armies too small and weak to oppose their neighbour’s forces — hit and run, almost all the way down to Bannockburn. However, the one glaring flaw in the Wallace character is also the one which made him great — the undying obsession with putting John Balliol back on the throne and a refusal to admit when that cause was lost.
Wishart, Robert, Bishop of Glasgow
One of the original Guardians of Scotland following the death of King Alexander III — and partly responsible for inviting Edward I to preside over subsequent proceedings — Bishop Wishart became the engine of rebellion and a staunch supporter of first Wallace, then Bruce. He and Lamberton, Bishop of St Andrews, were instrumental in bringing support to Bruce. The bishops’ reasons for rebelling were simple — the Scottish church was responsible only to the Pope, who appointed all their senior prelates; they did not want the English version, where the King performed that function, and could only maintain that difference if Scotland remained a distinct and separate realm.
