Rise of the Scottish Resistance Movement

Timeline

1. 1297Scottish Lowlands · ScotlandThe English occupying forces levied heavy taxes and appointed foreign officials, sparking widespread resentment. Small-scale uprisings broke out in places like Lancaster, and some surrendered nobles secretly wavered. William Wallace killed English officials at Lanark and elsewhere, becoming a symbolic figure of resistance.
2. 1297Stirling · StirlingWallace and Andrew Murray led their volunteer forces north, besieging Stirling Castle and preparing to meet an English relief column. The resistance developed from scattered raids into an organized field army, and the Scottish independence movement entered a new phase.
3. 1297Stirling Bridge · StirlingOn September 11, the Scottish army ambushed the English forces at Stirling Bridge and won a decisive victory. Wallace subsequently advanced north, restoring Scottish administrative institutions; the resistance rose from underground raids to open warfare, and the cause of independence regained political expression.