Hary’s Wallace: (Vita Nobilissimi Defensoris Scotie Wilelmi Wallace Militis)

Hary’s Wallace is a late fifteenth-century poem in twelve books, recounting the deeds of William Wallace, a leader of the Scots in the First War of Independence. It is an extraordinary and sophisticated piece of work which creates scenes of immense sensual and symbolic intensity to underpin a narrative of Wallace’s heroism in the face of struggle, disloyalty and betrayal. Hary draws on other Scottish material, particularly John Barbour’s Bruce and Walter Bower’s Scotichronicon, to structure his hero’s activities, and he uses Chaucerian forms, including the five-stress couplet, to enrich his account and appeal to his contemporary audience. While the poem is best known as the ultimate source for the 1995 film Braveheart, it offers a richer and more complex version of Wallace’s career and his contribution to the First War of Independence.

This edition, by Matthew P. McDiarmid, now reissued by the Scottish Text Society after several years out of print, is the standard scholarly edition of the poem, and provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction, notes and glossary.