In Freedom's Cause: A Story of Wallace and Bruce

by G.A. Henty

At the end of the thirteenth century, the oppressed people of Scotland rebelled against their despised English ruler, Edward Longshanks. In Freedom's Cause recounts the Scots' desperate but ultimately triumphant struggle in the face of overwhelming odds - a hard-fought series of battles conducted under the leadership of William Wallace and Robert Bruce.

Time has burnished the feats of these great heroes to mythic proportions, but Wallace and Bruce were real people. This gripping tale of courage, loyalty, and ingenuity recounts their deeds within an accurate historical context. Readers join their company alongside a fictional protagonist, young Archie Forbes, whose estates have been wrongfully confiscated. Archie forms a group of scouts to fight alongside the legendary Scottish chieftains (who were memorably portrayed in the film Braveheart) for their country's independence.

In Freedom's Cause is one among the many historical novels for young readers by George Alfred Henty. A storyteller who specialized in blending authentic historical facts with exciting fictional characters, Henty produced more than 140 books and achieved a reputation as "The Prince of Storytellers." Immensely popular and widely used in schools for many years, Henty's novels continue to fire young imaginations with their spirited tales of adventure amid exciting historical eras.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Classics, Historical, Scotland, Adventure, Childrens

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1884

About the author

George Alfred Henty, better known as G.A. Henty, began his storytelling career with his own children. After dinner, he would spend and hour or two in telling them a story that would continue the next day. Some stories took weeks! A friend was present one day and watched the spell-bound reaction of his children suggesting Henty write down his stories so others could enjoy them. He did. Henty wrote approximately 144 books in addition to stories for magazines and was known as "The Prince of Story-Tellers" and "The Boy's Own Historian." One of Mr. Henty's secretaries reported that he would quickly pace back and forth in his study dictating stories as fast as the secretary could record them.

Henty's stories revolve around fictional boy heroes during fascinating periods of history. His heroes are diligent, intelligent, and dedicated to their country and cause in the face, at times, of great peril... Henty's heroes fight wars, sail the seas, discover land, conquer evil empires, prospect for gold, and a host of other exciting adventures. Along the way, they meet famous personages... In short, Henty's heroes live through tumultuous historic eras meeting leaders of that time. Understanding the culture of the time period becomes second nature as well as comparing/contrasting the society of various cultures.

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable read, yet the further I read, the more troubling the book became to me. I've seen Braveheart, of course, as most people have, so I had a little bit of background to the book, and thought I'd known some details. It turns out that Braveheart was rather fast and loose with its history and storytelling, though, on the whole it wasn't terrible.

The story follows the story of the fictional "Archie Forbes" who, at an early age, attaches himself to the cause of William Wallace, and later Robert the Bruce. The exploits of Forbes are thrilling and not unlike modern cinematic storytelling. Forbes is heroic in every way--chivalrous, brave, skilled, humble, etc.

The story is a bit fantastical at times--Henty tries to draw too much out of Forbes, making him a bit too legendary--like a Scottish Robin Hood. But, it is all in fun, I guess.

What I found most troubling about the book was Henty's unquestioning admiration to the cause of Scottish "freedom." There is almost no description whatsoever of what it meant for Scotland to be under the yoke of England. Was English rule really so oppressive? Or was it just a kind of nationalistic pride that kept Scotland from submitting to foreign rule? There's nothing there--except what you might expect in brutal retaliation from King Edward against the rebellion.

At least in Braveheart "prima nocta" was given as an example of English tyranny. But the only thing Henty gives us is heavy taxes on the Scots. The so-called "freedom" so heralded in the book really came down to independence from English rule. But the price for this freedom was steep, indeed, as the warriors were men of blood.

The Scots waged a war of attrition against the English--using raids, plundering, sieging castles, and campaigns of terror to bring about their "freedom." Now, of course, Edward was far worse than the Scots in almost every way, but that is part of the problem. The two sides fought, at least from the perspective of the book, for very little reason--or at least one really bad one. Without knowing any more of the history, as the book doesn't supply it, it seems as though both sides were really just lusting for blood and glory by the sword.

Now, this is very unfair to the Scots of the time, as it is reasonable to expect that they had better justification for war than Henty provides in the book, but I'm critiquing the book, not the Scots. Henty falls short in providing justification for the decades of war against the English.

Still, it is a very fun, quick read. Just don't buy into the "freedom's cause" bit uncritically.

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

for heroes group 2011

--

Despite the many, many battles and lots of very historic description which I usually don't love, I really liked this book. The fictional main character was a good one, but the REAL characters of William Wallace and Robert Bruce were what really caught my attention. Wow!

I've never seen "Braveheart" so I didn't have any preconceived notions about the men themselves or even that period in history. Henty says in the preface that most literature through the ages about these two men and the Scottish fight for their freedom have been written by Englishmen who didn't have great respect for either--so here he's taken older, Scottish accounts and woven a tale of heroism and patriotism that was very inspiring.

I loved that it was a tale about men and women fighting against unlawful, oppressive tyranny. The English were brutal in battle and to their Scottish prisoners. The Scotch showed a lot of mercy and justice in both. Wallace and Bruce were real men with hot tempers and other character flaws but they were MEN! Henty also portrayed strong, courageous women.

Fun read.

[Abigail Rasmussen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I was 15 years old. Henty books are rather on the "boyish book" side but many girls I know (including myself) enjoy them as well.

You can find many G. A. Henty books on LibriVox: https://catalog.librivox.org/search.p...

A friend of ours, Jim Hodges, has recorded many G. A. Henty books and we own them all and my brothers have listened to everyone of them. http://jimhodgesaudiobooks.com/

[Annie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was historical fiction that was pretty light on the history. The title is extremely misleading; the author leads you to believe that this is a tale about William Wallace and Robert Bruce's attempts to free Scotland from the rule of the oppressive English. It's not. It's actually a story about the many wonderful deeds of the most obnoxious and uninteresting fictional protagonist ever written, Archie Forbes. Seriously. Every character of note at point owed their life to Forbes. At sixteen he joined William Wallace, and Wallace found him to be one of the best fighters he had ever met! Forbes single-handedly captured Robert Bruce and instilled in him a desire to lead Scotland as its king! Forbes saved Wallace's and Bruce's lives multiple times! His hair shines like gold and his breath perpetually smells of roses! etc etc etc. At one point, I thought a monk was going to try to nominate Sir Forbes for sainthood. If I hadn't had to read this for a school project, I would have given up on it fifty pages in, believe me. It was that bad.

I could have dealt with all that if I had actually felt this book had any educational value. In short, I learned very little about Scotland's struggles for independence. Lords and knights were introduced with little explanation as to who they were, and were gone in an instant. Many, many, many castles were sacked, and perhaps it's because I have little knowledge of cities in Scotland (especially as they were in the 13th century), but I had no picture of the landscape or setting in this story at all. The characters were two dimensional and the writing was awful. In particular, I found the author's desire to paint the English/Scottish conflict in such black and white terms rather distasteful (they're the bad guys! we're the good guys! why bother discussing motivations or ambitions, that's all you need to know, right?). In fact, I'm not sure I learnt anything at all, except that yes, some books are worth abandoning. (Oh, would that I could have!) I'm sure that there are many interesting historical novels about William Wallace and Robert Bruce out there, but this is not one of them.

[Kendra Ardnek · Rating 5 out of 5]

G. A. Henty is, in my opinion, one of the best historical fiction authors out there. "In Freedom's Cause" is a prime example, and one of my favorites of his that I have read so far. As soon as I finish reading the book I'm currently reading to the cousins I babysit each week, I plan to read this one.

The main character of this particular story is Archibald Forbes. Like all of Henty's main characters (at least in the books I have read so far), he is skilled with weapons, and interacts with and gains approval from many historical characters. In this case, the most obvious are William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. Archie, as he often is called, gets into many scrapes and adventures, and how he gets out of them is sometimes hilarious.

Now, when you read this, don't get discouraged at the slow start. Almost as soon as the story starts, Archie's mother gives him a history lesson on exactly how they got into the situation that Scotland was in. Indeed, I would say that at least a third of this book is a record of actual historical events. However, there is plenty of adventure, and even a bit of romance (like all of Henty's mains that I have read, and my sister says that all of the ones that she has read are the same, Archie is married by the end of the book).

Henty wrote in the same style as most of the classics. It sometimes takes him a while before he gets to the actual plot and adventure. This one is actually one of the ones that got there quicker. This was written in the days that one got to know the characters they read about before they actually went on an adventure with them. Also, it was written before television, back when children enjoyed reading and listening to long descriptions.

This is an amazing book, and I highly recommend it. I hope that, when I start writing Historical Fiction, which I plan to do eventually, I can make it half as good as this.

[Reese Songbird · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
I really liked this book a lot, more than I thought I would. It’s not my usual book, since it reads a lot like a textbook in some parts, but for some reason, I never felt bored. Which is a surprise for sure. I’m very thankful I read it, it definitely opened my eyes to some things going on in the time period and country.

[Bo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't find the audio book that I listened to, which was the one by Greathall Productions and narrated by Jim Weiss.

I would have preferred giving the book 3 1/2 stars, but that wasn't possible. I always enjoy Jim Weiss and his expression as he reads, as well as the way he changes voices for the different characters. This was a good telling of Scotland's history, and certainly helped me understand things better. However, I did find it a bit hard keeping up with all the characters and the events. But that might have been because I was travelling, and got sleepy sometimes. ;)

I appreciate that Henty's characters are upstanding people and live by good principles, like honesty and integrity. It seemed at the end, that the main character in this book may have been a real person (they aren't always, although the stories are always based around real people and real events in history).

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't actually read the book. We listened to and audio version by Jim Weiss as we traveled. Weiss does a good job with the reading, changing his voice and some accents. Although I think he does a better job with the French accents in The Reign of Terror. Overall, Weiss did a good job.
This book had a typical G.A. Henty theme - A young man is the hero and demonstrates bravery, cunning, loyalty and morality far beyond his years. I like that Henty highlights and emphasizes those characters in his books. That is why I enjoy them.
This book is based on Scotland's struggle for independence from the English and I learned quite a bit about the events of that struggle. However, I felt the book dragged. The hero gets out of one scrape after another and fights one battle after another. Actually, I thought the book was ending several times and then continued on. Perhaps the reason the book dragged on was because the Scot's struggle dragged on.
I also found it difficult to keep the characters straight, which I'm sure detracted from the impact of the book.
Overall it was an enjoyable book, but I may not read it again.

[Leslie Moellering · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still good, but not one of my favorite Henty books. Too many battles, dates, and names crammed in, such that it too often felt like a history text rather than a novel. The story got bogged down a bit.

[Daniel Ligon · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite Henty book. Lots of childhood nostalgia and a rousing story.

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read way too much like a history book and not a compelling narrative. Parts were interesting but some parts were a real slog

[MrsWhiteLibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henty has a tendency toward verbosity, which is present in In Freedom’s Cause. But he packs so much history and easy-to-like characters into his stories that the journey is worth it.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually quite enjoyed this book. I was torn between 3 vs 4 stars which came from the fact that I felt like Henty couldn't decide whether to write a Historical Fiction book, or an actual History book. He kept switching between the two styles.

Still, this is WAAAAAAYYYYY better than that historical garbage known as "Brave Heart" that Mel Gibson tried to foist off on us. "In Freedom's Cause" far more accurately portrays the history of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. What caused Robert the Bruce to decide within himself to pick up where Wallace left off, and to take up the cause of Scotland's freedom, and to be her King, is the result of a conversation between Bruce and a fictional character named Archie Forbes, who is (usually) the main character of the book. I'd be interested to know if it is known what cause The Bruce to turn against the English and pursue his rightful place as King of Scotland.

Keep in mind Robert the Bruce's historical significance in Scottish, English, and European history. From Bruce sprang the Stewart line, which became the Stuart line - the Royal House of Queen Victoria, who is the ancestor of most of the Royal houses of Europe, including, obviously, the UK - very fascinating stuff!

The book was written in 1902, but other than the fiction/historical fiction multiple personality disorder, it is a quick, fascinating, exciting read. The only reason it took my as long as it did to complete it is because I was trying to read "Paris" at the same time, which is a much longer book.

[Jonathan Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the title suggests the book is focussed on the exploits of Wallace and Bruce, it's primarily a tale of the ficticious character Archibald Forbes, a Scots patriot who fights along side Wallace and Bruce during the key moments in their history. Although plausible, 'Archie' tends to overshadow the exploits of Wallace and Bruce by the influence he has on their decision making. It becomes a little far fetched at times, suggesting Archie almost steers the course of history through his meetings with the pair.
The fusion between fact and fiction is quite well done, although i found the Scots being referred to as 'Scotch' a bit irritating. All the key battles and major historical figures are covered, especially so in the case of Robert the Bruce.
The story does tend to get moved along by jumping into factual mode, in order to set the scence for the interweaving tale of Archie and his adventures, but overall the it flows well.
Those looking for an in depth analysis on the lives of Wallace and Bruce will find this a bit lacking however, as we don't learn too much about them other than the battles they fought.

[Carrie Brownell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knowing very little (if anything) about Scottish History, I thought I'd start with this and read it aloud to my kids (ages 11 and under). The vocabulary was a bit out of reach for most of my kids, so I opted to finish reading it alone.

I've never read a Henty book before either. I've been told if I've read one, I've pretty much read them all. Not sure if this is so but at least I can say that I've read one now. ;)

All in all, this was a very interesting introduction to Scotland's rich history. I can say I've met some characters, seen some battles and have a better understanding of the relationship between England and Scotland. I'd recommend this read to others, sure! And I'd take further recommendations for other books and biographies from Scotland if anyone has any to make.

[forthefamilyssake Hailey White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think Braveheart meets David & Goliath! But better!

I have always been drawn to historical fiction, of which G.A. Henty is superb at crafting. This story of the Scottish people's fight against tyranny is captivating. How could you not love William Wallace? He's strong, honorable, valiant, humble, and ignites passion in the hearts of his fellow countrymen to fight for freedom. Not peace, for you cannot have peace without freedom. The main character Ned shares similar traits and the storyline, while predictable, was enjoyable.

We listened to this audio drama as a family over the last 2 evenings and we all agreed it was 5 out of 5!

[Apryl Pinzur · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son and I read this together and became so engrossed in the story, we didn’t want it to end. I love the way Henty weaves fictional characters in with historical characters and there is a good balance of action and character development, which just makes it enjoyable to read. And we learned so much! I had never anything of this time period from the Scottish perspective and it was very endearing. Recommend if you enjoy historical fiction!

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lizzy and I learned a lot about Wallace, Bruce and Scottish history. We were disappointed when we researched and discovered that our hero, Archie, was a fictional character but his bravery and romantic life kept us entertained.

[CC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thus far this has been my favorite Henty book. Henty does a marvelous job of integrating history with an entertaining and pleasurable story.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to my brother and it was always fun. I still haven't looked up all the places on a map, but we recognized the names as where our ancestors come from.

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure that this is the book that Mel Gibson based "Braveheart" on, because it's about as historically accurate. That being said, G.A. Henty can definitely spin a good yarn.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Micah really enjoyed this one when researching for his Faces and Places research paper. I found it very cumbersome to read aloud and thought it had too many extraneous details.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

T was assigned to read this for an online English class, so I decided to read it too, knowing nothing about this period of history (no, I have not seen Braveheart). So just some of my thoughts:
-The introduction of fictional protagonist Archie Forbes was a nice way to help the reader connect to the struggle, giving a sense of being on the 'inside' of the leadership, while also getting a glimpse of how a person may have gotten involved in the cause. Of course, some of his exploits were a bit over-the-top...but it kept it fun and made it more of an adventure story rather than a strictly a historical war story.
-Since it was published in 1902, reading it wasn't as smooth as reading a contemporary novel, with the older vocabulary and different sentence phrasing. Definitely still readable and understandable, but had to look up some words in a dictionary.
-I've read a lot of fiction stories with medieval-style battles with swords and archers...they're always exciting and suspenseful, and I'm usually a big fan of this genre, but reading this, knowing it was based on real historical battles, was very uncomfortable. These are terrible ways to die! So, so, so many people died in this war (and many others throughout history like it), and it just seems so pointless....why do humans have to fight so much? And why do we enjoy reading and watching battles as entertainment? There were so many deaths in this book, reflecting the actual deaths in this war and it's just awful to think about. The book isn't gory and doesn't dwell on the grief over those who died, it just mentions the deaths very matter-of-factly.
-Why were the English so bent on ruling over so much of other people's land?!?! It just causes them trouble everywhere! It just seems so senseless. People just want power over more and more people I guess. Sad.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

If what Henty says in the preface is correct, this is an accurate historical fictional account of William Wallace and Robert Bruce as they fight for Scotland's freedom in 1293-1315. There were a few occasions two different versions of the history occur, and Henty states both, as well as which one he thinks to be the most accurate or probable and why.

The book is told with a fictional character Archie Forbes as the main actor, fighting alongside both of Scotland's heroes. It is Archie's doing that gets Bruce to finally denounce his English loyalty and fight for Scotland's cause, clearly fiction. The end as well is quite fictional, but makes the novel better --perhaps.

The book is exciting with all the battles and schemes that work entirely too often. It lacks in character development, and barely a plot, or story line, other than the fighting for independence. The why, the reason for this continual battle and striving for freedom isn't given many words either, other than the desire and preference. Although as the book progresses the poor treatment of Scottish prisoners and towards the country in general by the English provide added reasons for continuing. In the end, with abundant battles, along with names of people and places without details nor description makes the book a little too long. This is an old book, written at least 130 years ago, and presuming only for boys, so yes, some leeway is given.

I haven't read many Scottish history books, so I don't have anything to compare this book against. Being that this is a popular story that took place over 700 years ago, I'm sure there are other books. I'd like to read at least one other. In any case, I feel certain this book will hold up to more modern versions.

[Hope Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, I really did not like the book. It was very difficult to understand and read, and just not my type of book with all the battles and such. Then, as the book went on, I got very attacthed to some of the characters (ex. Marjory and Archie!) and then became very interested! The battles were still not my favorite, but towards the end they became more interesting. I loved how Marjory and Archie got together, it was so sweet and unique how they expressed their love towards each other, and I especially loved how they did that with such strong words. I also thought all the times when they rescued each other was very interesting and all their plans were very fascinating (ex. when Archie got trapped at Berwick and they used a coffin to escape from the town!) I read this book for my English class, and especially had to take notes of character traits in specific people. It was very compelling to see how the character's change from the beginning of the book till the end, and also their unique abilities or talents. Overall, this book was a very interesting read and I would rate it 5 stars! Although it can be hard to read at times, it is still such an amazing book, and you learn so much about Scotland, England, and also each and every character. I am very thankful I invested my time in this book! :)

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to an audiobook, read by Jim Weiss, who does a fantastic job with his voicing. However, as to the book itself, I didn't love it. G.A. Henty's books are all very similar. He tends to make the hero unrealistic in that he's a fictional character, but he plays such a vital role in the events that happen that there is no way he could be a fictional character. However, he isn't an historical character, either. Henty also tends to put some historical characters on a pedestal, implying that they can do no wrong, while completely villifying others. For instance, he basically said that Wallace and Bruce's enemies made them out to be terrible people, but the truth is that they were spotless in character. I'm pretty sure the truth is somewhere in the middle. However, in this, Henty is applauding valor and honorable character, and I do appreciate that.

It is incredible how a small group of Scots withstood and eventually overcame the English army.

[Madison Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Freedom’s Cause by G.A. Henty is a fascinating story that gives light to the war between the English and the Scots. Young Archie Forbes is the fictional protagonist that G.A. Henty placed in this story, and by doing this Henty creates a story that we can both learn from and enjoy reading. Sir Archie forms a group of scouts to serve the Scottish army to fight alongside the legendary William Wallace and Robert Bruce; and through that he learns how to become a true and noble knight, one worthy to become one of the most favored and honored soldiers of his time. In Freedom’s Cause is a story that everyone should read, so that they can understand the meaning of loyalty, nobility, and strength required to continue to fight for what you believe in.

[Julie Mabus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before beginning Ambleside Online with my children I had very little knowledge of British history. Now throughout the past 3 years my understanding has increased immensely. This story is one that I suppose I knew bits of but had no real knowledge of. William Wallace and Robert the Bruce were random names of history. Now I can say that I know their story. Through the weaving of Birth of Britain by Churchill, Our Island Story, and this book I feel like I have gained knowledge of my history. At times I didn’t love the writing but overall it was an interesting story. A bit long in places but thorough and towards the end a page turner.

[Merynn Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Freedoms Cause is a remarkable book about young Archie Forbes who wants to fight along side the Scottish army in their hopeful defeat against their enemy the English. Early in the book Archie forms a group to serve in the Scottish army side by side Willam Wallace and Robert Bruce. Throughout this book he learns to have courage in the face of danger, to be loyal even when sometimes he wanted to run, and to have strength even when he felt like he could not go any longer. In Freedoms Cause is an enjoyable book that I would recommend to anyone who desires to know what it looks like to have courage, loyalty, and strength in overwhelming odds.

[Sycamore Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

A riveting adventure full of chivalry and daring escapes, in which you are caught up in both the historical part of the story and the elements of the fictional characters. A little slow at times and sometimes Archie seemed too perfect and indestructible (I usually prefer the main character to be relatable and did not necessarily find that in Archie, though I have to admit that I didn't altogether mind- sometimes it's fun to read about an indomitable hero) but those things did not hinder the heart of the story which throbbed for freedom.