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William Wallace: A Life from Beginning to End

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Discover the remarkable life of William Wallace...
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William Wallace; if ever there was a champion in the annals of Scottish history, he was it. Known as a proud Scot who rose through the ranks to challenge the English king, Wallace was a mere man who became larger than life—large enough even for the likes of Mel Gibson to play him in Braveheart for movie-going audiences on the silver screen. But who was William Wallace? What separates the real man from the myth?

In this book, we will take a look at the life and the legend of Sir William Wallace in its entirety.

Discover a plethora of topics such as
A Country in Need of a Hero Early Life and Legend The Battle of Stirling Bridge Wallace’s Invasion of England Defeat at Falkirk Capture and Execution And much more! So if you want a concise and informative book on William Wallace, simply scroll up and click the "Buy now" button for instant access!

45 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 25, 2019

233 people are currently reading
269 people want to read

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Hourly History

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At Hourly History, we focus on publishing history books that are concise, straightforward and take no longer than one hour to read.

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5 stars
183 (43%)
4 stars
159 (37%)
3 stars
70 (16%)
2 stars
8 (1%)
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2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
Profile Image for Brooke (B for Books).
825 reviews27 followers
July 26, 2025
"Any society which suppresses the heritage of its conquered minorities, prevents their history or denies them their symbols, has sown the seeds of their own destruction.” —William Wallace

The war between King Edward I of England and William Wallace of Scotland would be a brutal one, of no mercy and no quarter.


He was and still is an inspiration to his country, even though many times the squabbles of war were instigated over petty affairs--one story of stealing a fish ended in brutal murder of legend.

Wallace’s decisive defeat at Falkirk resulted in him stepping down as Guardian of Scotland in favor of Robert the Bruce, who would eventually become king in 1306.He continue guerilla style warfare.

He was captured and brutally publicly maimed, tortured and murderd by the English, who offered him as much mercy as he offered any of them. He lived and died a life of violent brutality, never backing down from a free Scotland. While his methods were flawed, it is worth the character study. William Wallace may have suffered a brutal end, but they never did take Scotland's freedom.





Profile Image for Anil Swarup.
Author 3 books721 followers
September 6, 2020
Contribution of the legendary William Wallace to the Scottish cause comes out in this beautifully crafted offering from Hourly History. There is candid admission in the book about the authenticity (or the lack of it) of certain events.
Profile Image for Bettye McKee.
2,188 reviews156 followers
January 12, 2021
Scotland's warrior hero

This is an interesting and informative overview of the life of William Wallace. By necessity, much of the information available is based on hearsay and rumor, passed down through the ages.

However, we are able to see a reasonably sufficient picture of the man who fought to the death to free Scotland from English rule.

Recommended.
Profile Image for Gian Andrea.
Author 6 books34 followers
September 4, 2019
As in the tradition of Hourly History, 'William Wallace: A Life from Beginning to End' presents the same formula of bad editing, typos and all in all rushed writing mixed up with some interesting and informative content. As always, not a detailed book for the more experienced or knowledgeable in history but rather an entertaining read for those in need to kill some time.
Profile Image for Lila.
445 reviews3 followers
September 4, 2019
Wow, what a gruesome way to die. Such a fascinating man.
Profile Image for Amalie.
315 reviews43 followers
September 22, 2022
As usually by Hourly History, this wasn't a very good book.
You would think that it would function nicely as a quick introduction to the topic, but it's often very unclear which parts are actual factual history, and which parts are dubious local stories. I also find myself doubtful that the quotes that open every chapter can actually be ascribed to William Wallace with any certainty.
That's not to say that the book is altogether useless, it is fine for a broader introduction than was probably intended because it is so unclear on many points.
Profile Image for William O. Robertson.
264 reviews1 follower
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February 5, 2024
An excellent overview of the Scottish freedom fighter, William Wallace. Although it appears that many stories and antidotes written about him by this author and others, are based on hear-say and not historical evidence. The author did allude to this fact, in that many stories surrounding Bruce were possibly legendary more than truth. Then again, most stories from the Middle Ages are. Nevertheless, this short read reinforces why William Wallace remains someone which the Scottish people pay tribute and homage as a symbol of Scottish independence to this day.
Profile Image for Pat White.
3 reviews
March 27, 2023
William Wallace, Medieval Scottish Warrior

Although parts of the book are difficult to read because of Medieval warfare, it was important to know Wallace's story. I am constantly reading referrals to him in the novels and in the research I do on Scottish history, my family history. Anyone who wants to know more about life in Scotland during this period of history, should read this book.
443 reviews1 follower
November 15, 2021
I am never sure how to regard history books that have to rely more on legend than provable history. This book does provide as solid a background as possible considering the topic of the 13th century Scottish battle for independence. It is pretty well written and covers William Wallace in under an hour of reading time.
9 reviews1 follower
June 7, 2025
Could be my fault for not checking the size or duration of the book but it is tiny.

What the review is based on is the fact it appears written by either a high school student or AI, maybe a student using AI? I learned more from Wikipedia. Nearly the entire book is covered with caveats and "quips".

Worse book I've read in a very long time.
20 reviews1 follower
February 10, 2021
Well Written

William Wallace was a Scottish hero that still inspires hope for people today. He overcame insurmountable odds in order to lead Scotland close to overcoming the English stranglehold on them. Great overview of a true son of Scotland
1 review
November 19, 2022
Very clipped history

Not very detailed and numerous declarations of uncertainty . Very clipped history and short . Good for a beginner to get the lay of the land on what he had done to gain fame .
2 reviews
June 16, 2023
Resurgence for freedom

Greatly enjoyed this tale of one man's search for everlasting freedom from a overly overt bullying neighbour state,,his quest for Scotland's independence and the price he paid.
37 reviews
December 7, 2023
Scottish Learning

My introduction to the history of Scotland. A good brief read. I wish there was a little more detail and use of the name of of the person versus the title. I love these ~1 hour books.
Profile Image for F.
1,181 reviews9 followers
July 25, 2025
While this is not the fault of the author or publisher this book admits they information on Wallace is scarce, unreliable and contradictory at times which makes it hard to take the volume seriously. Am I reading fiction or history? Who knows. For what it is, it is well written.
266 reviews2 followers
July 31, 2025
Scottish Hero

William Wallace certainly antagonize the English and rallied his countrymen as the Scots fought for freedom. He won many battles but ultimately lost the war and his life against the superior English forces.
Profile Image for Μαρία .
227 reviews3 followers
December 8, 2025
Γουίλιαμ Γουάλας, ένας αγωνιστής της ελευθερίας που σχεδόν κατάφερε να κερδίσει την ανεξαρτησία της Σκωτίας. Το βιβλίο προσφέρει μια αρκετά καλή περίληψη της ζωής του και όσων προσπάθησε να πετύχει. Ήταν σίγουρα χαρισματικός και κατάφερε να κρατήσει αναμμένη τη φλόγα της ανεξαρτησίας.
90 reviews
February 17, 2021
Seeing as they don't know all about him it's hard to read without seeing Mel Gibson in your minds eye lol
15 reviews
August 4, 2021
Wallace

A little too short. Another 200/300 pages would have been great. Dry facts with some human interactions make history alive.
57 reviews
July 20, 2022
Interesting history, well written, easy to digest is a short time. Nice respite.
Profile Image for Rubin Carpenter.
684 reviews
November 15, 2022
A Great Biography

An interesting life indeed William Wallace a freedom fighter and political powerhouse that nearly succeeded in winning Scotland it's independence
4,418 reviews37 followers
December 21, 2023
What will you do without your freedom?

A tale of the real Wallace, with a few yarns thrown in for good measure. The death scene is a little brutal and not suitable for children.
2 reviews
January 26, 2024
Concise , quick informative read

Easy to read but gives a detailed account of Wallace. Keeps your interest from beginning to end. Well worth the time.

Profile Image for DavidO.
1,183 reviews
June 26, 2024
Apocryphal

It's mostly legends, to the point that it's impossible to tell which parts actually happened. Reads a bit like a story about Robinhood.
32 reviews4 followers
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July 13, 2020
3.0 out of 5 stars William Wallace: A Life from Beginning to End (Scottish History Book 1)

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2020

Fairly Fast Read as a lot of the Hourly History Kindle eBooks are, has a storyline that Tries to Cover some of the History of William Wallace, admits in quite a few places that Many Actual Facts are NOT available to back up much of what is suppose to be a HISTORY Type Book - Not a Bad Read - was able to read for FREE as a Kindle Unlimited Loaned Title ... I enjoyed reading it as a Time Diversion Only so I wasn't looking for a True History, and for a Free Read included with KU not bad - but probably not interested in the actual purchase of this Particular eBook...
Profile Image for Terri's Dangerous When Reading.
899 reviews12 followers
November 17, 2019
This book is part legend, part known facts, which is understandable given the time period that William Wallace lived. It was September 11, 1297 that William Wallace and Andrew Moray face the English troops of John de Warrenne, the 6th Earl of Surrey, at Stirling Bridge. The Scots were heavily outnumbered and the very narrow bridge was largely the reason that the English troops were defeated. Wallace had a short brave run as Guardian of Scotland, eventually stepping down in favor of Robert the Bruce, who would become king in 1306. William Wallace's death is every bit as gruesome as the Bravehart movie, maybe even more so because the book describes it in detail. This book really is just a summary and a lot of it is legend but in the end I felt that the book was worth the read.
Profile Image for JD.
18 reviews
October 24, 2019
This is the first of the Hourly History books I’ve read. The series seems like a great bite sized look at historical events or figures and I’ve seen other titles I’d like to read.

As a someone with a keen interest in William Wallace, I found this fascinating, but would have liked some references or links to where information was sourced.
It is widely known that a lot of information on him was based on the writings of a poet named Blind Harry and a lot folklore.
Given this book included actual quotes from Wallace and a timeline of quite specific events (although in parts it was mentioned that little was known about certain periods) I wonder about the research value of the titles
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews

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