William Wallace was a Scottish knight active during the late 13th and early 14th century, and an instrumental figure during the Scottish wars for independence. Many people wonder what really happened to William Wallace, and how William Wallace actually died. In 1297, he defeated an English army and was subsequently named Guardian of Scotland. A few years later, in 1305, he was captured and sentenced to death by King Edward I of England for treason and other crimes.

William Wallace's execution was featured in the 1995 film Braveheart, which was directed by and starred Mel Gibson. What happened on film was very different from what happened in real life, however. The Braveheart inaccuracies include Wallace's death scene, which was severely toned down and did not portray the torture and pain that the real Wallace endured before crossing over into whatever it is that comes next.