Rainbow Dash and Rarity went to the Wallace Monument in Stirling, Scotland! 🏴
The Wallace Monument, as its name suggests, is a monument completed in 1869 to commemorate the life and cause of William Wallace. William Wallace is one of the most famous figures in Scottish history - a knight who became one of the major leaders in the first war of independence in Scotland. Alongside Andrew de Moray, he led the Scots to defeat the English at the battle of Stirling bridge in 1297, even though the Scots were outnumbered three to one. He and his supporters weren’t going to stand for their country to be ruled over by the English. Wallace in the end, after spending time in the continent lobbying for Scottish independence, also gave his life for the cause. Upon his return to his home country in 1305, he was betrayed by a Scottish nobleman and captured near Glasgow and taken to the Tower of London. To spare too many gruesome details you can read much more about his life and death online, but he was cruelly tortured and slaughtered for the crime of treason. Despite his death, his legacy spurred on many others to continue fighting for their independence.
Braveheart is of course the most famous depiction of him, but it’s not too historically accurate. One important difference being that William Wallace himself was in fact born into a minor nobleman’s family. Despite his importance a lot is unknown about him, including his mother’s identity, and if he had a wife or children. His monument is located just next to Stirling Castle, upon the rock Abbey Craig, another crag and tail feature.
If you visit the monument be prepared to climb some pretty steep spiral stairs. There’s a bus to and from the actual monument if you need. At the top of the monument there’s a 380° view around!
