The Scotsman

‘Tantalisin­g’ 700-year-old Wallace letter to go on show

- By ALISON CAMPSIE

A 700-year-old letter that gives a “tantalisin­g glimpse” into the life of William Wallace is to go on show.

The correspond­ence is one of only two surviving documents with a personal link to Wallace, who led Scottish forces during the first War of Independen­ce.

The parchment document was written by King Philip IV of France and some experts believe it was one of a number of letters found on Wallace at the time of his capture in 1305.

It was written by King Philip IV of France to urge the Pope to “hold our loved William le Walois of Scotland, knight, recommende­d to his favour” during a proposed visit to Italy.

Dr Tristram Clarke, archivist at National Records of Scotland, said: “Written in November 1300, the document offers a tantalisin­g glimpse into a mysterious period of Wallace’s career.

“King Philip IV of France wrote to his agents in Rome, commanding them to ask Pope Boniface VIII to view William Wallace favourably.

“The letter proves Wallace played a role in the turbulent politics of medieval Europe, when the Pope was trying to encourage peace between England and France, and to challenge England’s claim to control Scotland.”

It is believed that Wallace, who led a significan­t victory at Stirling Bridge in 1297, may have travelled to France after his defeat at Falkirk the following year to raise support for Scottish independen­ce.

Wallace evaded capture by the English until 5 August, 1305 when John de Menteith, a Scottish knight loyal to Edward, turned Wallace over to English soldiers at Robroyston near Glasgow.

The Scot was hung, drawn and quartered in London on 23 August, 1305.

King Philip’s letter was discovered in the Tower of London in the 1830s.

The William Wallace Working Group, made up of academics from Scotland, England and France and specialist­s

0 William Wallace is thought to have been carrying the letter when he was captured

from both national archive organisati­ons, was set up to investigat­e the origins of the letter.

It concluded that it was an original although why Wallace was supposedly heading to Rome is not known.

Theletteri­scurrently­onloan from the National Archives at Kew with the Scottish Government and the Society of William Wallace earlier pressing for the document to be permanentl­y held in Scotland.

The document was last seen in 2014 and is rarely put on display given its fragile nature. It will go on show at New Register House, West Register Street, as part of Doors Open Day.

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 ??  ?? 0 The letter was written by King Philip IV of France
0 The letter was written by King Philip IV of France

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