The knight realised he was surrounded by his enemies. As a final act of defiance he took the precious relic from the casket he carried around his neck and, as he hurled it at the swarming foe, he uttered his last legendary words of contempt, then threw himself into the fray.

You may have seen the film “Braveheart”. This Oscar-laden 1995 Hollywood epic tells its own version of the story of the great Scottish hero, Sir William Wallace 1270-1305. Born into a minor lowland Scottish aristocratic family, Wallace was cultured and educated, unlike Mel Gibson’s portrayal of him in the film as a common man from the highlands.

In 1291 during a period of largely unorganised resistance to English occupation, his father was killed during an action against English troops and it is likely that this contributed greatly to Wallace’s resolve to fight for Scottish independence. The following year he went into hiding after being outlawed for the murder of an Englishman and gathered an army of followers running from and sometimes ferociously confronting their pursuers. He was eventually drawn into battle with the English army at Stirling on 11 September 1297 and, though overwhelmingly outnumbered, won an improbable victory by employing greater tactical skills than the English commander. The English were driven from Scotland and Wallace’s army struck south ravaging the counties of Cumberland and Northumberland. He was knighted on his return to Scotland in December 1297 and proclaimed “Guardian of the Kingdom”. There are no historic records of the name “Braveheart” attaching to him at this time.

However, Edward I returned from a campaign in France early in 1298 and in July of that year took an army of some 90,000 men over the Scottish border eventually confronting a much smaller force led by Wallace at Falkirk. The longbow arrows of the English archers exacted a terrible toll on the Scots from great range and the battle was lost along with Wallace’s short-lived military reputation. He resigned his “Guardianship” and was succeeded by Robert the Bruce. Once again an outlaw on the run, Wallace’s whereabouts and activities from this point are unclear. In 1303 the war between England and France concluded with the Treaty of Paris and Edward was free to give his undivided attention to the conquest of Scotland, capturing Stirling the following year. Although with the country quelled and the allegiance of the majority of Scottish nobility pledged to him, Edward unremittingly continued the pursuit of Wallace, refusing to regard him as anything other than a traitor. Still no mention of “Braveheart.”

In August 1305, Wallace was betrayed, sadly by a Scottish knight. He was tried for murder and was hung, drawn and quartered. But the consequent martyrdom of such a popular military hero served only to galvanise Scottish will to achieve self-determination and the flames of national rebellion were revived by Robert the Bruce who was crowned king of an independent Scotland in 1306. Again, no “Braveheart.”

But the establishment of a firm long term independent Scottish nation was to prove elusive. In 1307 Robert was deposed by the English army and fled. Over the next 7 years he experienced mixed success in his continuing mission. Failing badly at the Battle of Methven in 1305, he then led an effective guerrilla campaign against the English culminating in a famous victory at Bannockburn in 1314. Independent Scottish monarchy was thus restored although Edward II refused to give it his recognition.

However, in 1324 Robert received papal recognition as king of an independent Scottish state and in 1327 Edward was deposed in favour of his son. The Treaty of Edinburgh signed in 1328 assured peace through the renunciation of all English claims and the recognition of independence. Robert died in 1329, his final wish being that his heart should be carried to the Holy Land.

So it was in 1330 that a small band of crusading knights led by Sir James Douglas set off for the Holy Land. It was Douglas who bore the casket containing the embalmed heart of Robert the Bruce. Arriving first in Spain they fought with the army of Alfonso XI of Castile against the Moors at Teba to the east of Ronda. Douglas was ambushed and killed whilst riding to the assistance of a fellow knight.

There are varying accounts of the exact form of Douglas’s last words. A distillation of the quotes on offer would be something like “Onward brave heart, Douglas shall follow.” It is from this incident that the name “Braveheart” is taken, and as it happens it has nothing whatsoever to do with William Wallace. The Bruce’s heart was later returned to Scotland for burial.

The town of Teba has been thoroughly described elsewhere in these articles and is well worth a visit. The town’s Plaza de Espana has been re-titled Plaza de Douglas in honour of the crusader and the above marble tablet there celebrates his sacrifice in both English and Spanish.