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About This Quiz
Clocking in at three hours long, this Scottish history lesson enthralled audiences and garnered Oscar nominations. It was somewhat historically inaccurate... but why sweat the details? Revisit the rousing events of "Braveheart" with our quiz!
"Braveheart" is about what country's war for independence?
Greenland
Ireland
Scotland
William Wallace was a hero in the First War of Scottish Independence. Statues of him can be seen at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, and Edinburgh Castle.
the United States
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Who played the role of William Wallace?
Liam Neeson
Jeremy Irons
Alan Rickman
Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson was named as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" by People Magazine the year after Braveheart was released.
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What is the name of Wallace's childhood friend?
Angus
Hamish
William and Hamish are seen fistfighting early in the film, but it's all in fun. Later, when Wallace returns from continental Europe, Hamish again challenges him to a contest of strength. Some things never change.
Ross
Menteith
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What was King Edward I's nickname?
Edd
Longshanks
Edward was tall, especially for his time (he was 6'2"). "Shanks" are the lower part of the leg. Edward is not to be confused with "Crookshanks," Hermione's cat in the "Harry Potter" novels.
Crookshanks
the Francophile
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Who is Murron?
a rival nobleman
Wallace's older brother
Wallace's love interest
Murron's untimely death inspires everything Wallace does afterward -- at least, in the movie version. He's motivated by a lost love.
the English magistrate
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What kind of flower does young Murron give Wallace?
a lily
a peony
a rose
a thistle
Though thistles are commonly a nuisance, they do have lovely lavender-colored blooms. Wallace keeps Murron's flower pressed in a handkerchief well into adulthood.
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Of what nationality is the bride of Edward the younger?
Welsh
French
Narration tells us that there were "whispers" that Longshanks would have to father Isabella's child, if he wanted an heir to the throne. Significant, but silent, looks between the younger Edward and a young man in the pews makes clear what this means.
Finnish
Irish
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Which foreign language does Wallace speak?
French
Latin
Saxon
both #1 and #2
Wallace owes his fluency in these "status languages" to his uncle, who raised him after his father's death. The uncle also took him on a pilgrimage to Rome, where Wallace's Latin probably came in handy, since modern Italian was just beginning to take shape.
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What Wallace's uncle's name?
Angus
Argyle
His uncle is a worldly man. When William says he doesn't understand Latin, Argyle says, "We'll have to remedy that."
Liam
Carlisle
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Why do Murron and Wallace have to marry in secret?
because her father doesn't approve
because wedding parties are expensive
to avoid the rite of "prima nocte"
both #1 and #3
"Prima nocte," or first night, meant that English lords could "break in" the brides of their subjects on a wedding night. It's the main reason William and Murron married in secret, though the fact that her father didn't approve wasn't much help. (Note: according to most historians, "prima nocte" was never actually practiced in the British isles. We would hope not!)
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Why, according to what Wallace tells Murron's father, did Wallace come home from the Continent?
to teach the languages he learned there to Scottish kids
to farm and raise a family
Of course, fate has other plans for William Wallace. And McClannough is already doubtful about his intentions, telling Wallace that he can't court Murron, his daughter, until he's proven that he's a peace-loving farmer.
to fight for independence
to escape debts
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Which religion do Wallace and his fellow Scotsmen follow?
Catholic Christianity
You might expect a movie about Scottish rebels to show them following a native pagan religion, and the English to be the enforcers of the Church. But Mel Gibson, the movie's director, producer and star, is devoutly Catholic and would be unlikely to make a film sympathetic to a pagan religion.
Protestant Christianity
a form of druidism
they have no apparent religious allegiance
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What color cloaks do the English soldiers wear?
gold
blue
orange
The average English soldier wears an orange cloak and a round-brimmed helmet. The magistrate, though, wears red-and-white stripes. His cheerful Dr. Seuss look might have charmed the Scots, if only Dr. Seuss were not 700 years in the future.
red
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How does Murron die?
in childbirth
a fall from a horse
of internal injuries from a rape
the magistrate cut her throat
A rape attempt does play a part here. Murron fights off a soldier, and then is executed for "assault" on one of the king's soldiers, which the magistrate says is as bad as an assault on the king himself.
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Why is Robert the Bruce's father disfigured?
he survived the plague
he has leprosy
This doesn't seem to have a basis in history. Neither was the elder Robert the Bruce involved in William Wallace's capture by the English. Such is scriptwriting!
he was tortured by the English
he got scars in battle
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What is unusual about Stephen, who comes to join the rebel army?
he is blind
he is Irish
Stephen, played by David O'Hara, comes to the aid of the Scots because he wants to kill Englishmen. At first, he comes off as a bit crazy, but he soon proves his worth.
he has premonitions
he is secretly a woman
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From what does Stephen soon save Wallace?
an English army ambush
a barn fire
an assassination attempt
The man named "Faudron," who joined Wallace's army at the same time as Stephen, comes to kill him. During a hunt in the forest, Stephen kills Faudron before he can murder Wallace.
a rash remarriage
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Where is Wallace's first victory in real battle?
Aberdeen
Glasgow
Stirling
The historical battle was called "the Battle of Stirling Bridge." There isn't a bridge in the film version, because it was too hard to film around.
York
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What do the Scots do at Stirling to provoke the English?
call them Frenchmen
give them the finger
moon them
The Scots do this before and after the English archers shoot at them. One unfortunate soul doesn't get his trousers and his shield up in time and takes an arrow to the cheek.
sing the English national anthem off-key
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At Stirling, the most outrageous of Wallace's demands requires that the English commander do what?
give up his horse and walk home
dance a Highland reel
crawl off the battlefield
"kiss his own [behind]"
Wallace presents "Scotland's terms" to the English. They include leaving England, stopping at every house to apologize for English crimes against the Scottish, and the kissing thing. Needless to say, these terms aren't met.
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What color does Wallace paint his face in battle?
blue
A blue dye called "woad" was sometimes used by Gaelic warriors going into battle. However, the tradition had died off before the time "Braveheart" covers.
black
red
white
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What does Longshanks do with his son's "adviser?" (Read: boyfriend).
has him jailed on false charges
sends him to Rome as a diplomat
promotes him to a useless, but high-paid role
throws him out a window
Edward II tells his father that Phillip is his military adviser. Longshanks pretends to accept this, puts his arm around the young man, walks with him across the room, and cold-bloodedly pitches him out a window. His son responds by trying, but failing, to stab Longshanks to death.
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Whom does Longshanks send to negotiate with Wallace?
Edward II
Isabella
Isabella is seen as levelheaded and cool under pressure. Maybe not as much as her handmaid, though, who cheerfully predicts that Edward II will die in battle and "then you'll be a widow." Cold!
his nephew
he goes himself
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Who are the two traitors at the battle of Falkirk?
Hamish and McGregor
Stephen and Hamish
Stephen and Mornay
Mornay and Lochlan
The English buy off these two nobles with estates in England. As a result, the two men ride off, with their followers, just before the battle begins.
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What soldier knocks Wallace off his horse with a lance?
an anonymous Englishman
Edward II
Robert the Bruce
There was some criticism about how Robert the Bruce was portrayed in "Braveheart." He is a Scottish hero, and his depiction as an morally-wavering second fiddle to Wallace didn't sit well with many Scots.
Longshanks
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Where does Wallace kill Mornay?
on a battlefield
in Mornay's bedchamber
Wallace rides his horse right in the front door and up the stairs to do this. Nothing says, "I'm really mad at you" like riding your horse straight into a house.
at a meeting of nobles
outside a church
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For how many years after Falkirk was Wallace a guerrilla fighter?
one
two and a half
five
seven
Wallace spends seven years in hit-and-run fighting with the English before he finally falls into a trap, supposedly set by the elder Robert the Bruce. He is then taken into custody.
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What does Isabella bring to Wallace in his cell?
dinner
whisky
a vial of painkiller
He turns down the medicine for fear it will make his wits dull during his torture (and possibly cause him to publicly renounce his cause). He finally drinks it to please Isabella, but spits it out once she's gone.
a skeleton key
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What is Isabella's private revenge on the terminally ill Longshanks?
she replaces his medicine with an inert substance
she tells him she's carrying a bastard child
The idea that Wallace fathered Isabella's son works well in the movie, but is historically inaccurate. Edward III was born long after William Wallace's death.
she spreads a rumor that he is incontinent
she gets a tattoo of Scotland
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What word does the torturer want Wallace to say, and what does he say instead?
Surrender/Defiance
Mercy/Freedom
Even the largely English crowd, who have come to the execution for entertainment, begin to chant "Mercy" on Wallace's behalf. But Wallace won't cave: He yells "Freedom," at which point the executioner gives up and beheads him.
Mercy/Independence
England/Scotland
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Who does Wallace see in the crowd before he dies?
his father
Isabella
Murron
Wallace hallucinates his lost love. However, his most faithful fellow warriors, Hamish and Stephen, are actually in the crowd, watcing their leader's death.
his mother
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Who narrates "Braveheart"?
Wallace
Robert the Bruce
For most of the movie, the narration is impersonal: "I shall tell you of William Wallace," etc. But at the end, Robert identifies himself by relating directly how he went to Bannockburn to accept English oversight, but instead rallied the Scots to fight to win their independence.
the illegitimate son, Edward III
Murron
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What "Braveheart's" closing image?
Hamish's sword standing upright in the field of Bannockburn
And Scotland has remained independent to this day ... Wait, what? Scotland is now part of the UK. And the European Union. And rejected independence in a 2016 vote. And voted to stay in the EU in the "Brexit" vote. Golly, how times change!
Wallace's statue at Edinburgh Castle
a purple thistle in closeup
the Scottish flag
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Why did Mel Gibson not want to play the role of Wallace at first?
he's an Anglophile
he felt he was too old
Wallace was in his twenties at the time of his greatest exploits, while Gibson was nearly 40 when the movie was made.. But the studio wanted the then-bankable Gibson in the lead, so he took the part.
he was already directing and producing
he wanted a Scottish actor to play the part
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Who played Uncle Argyle?
Brian Cox
Argyle was a small role, but Cox reportedly preferred playing Argyle to a larger role. Fun fact: In the UK, if you say "Brian Cox," most people will think of the charismatic physicist/TV presenter, not the American actor.
Ian Cullen
Max Von Sydow
Donald Sutherland
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Who played Robert the Bruce?
Robert Carlyle
David Morse
Angus McFayden
In the movie, Robert the Bruce is torn between his sympathy to Wallace's cause and his loyalty to his father, who collaborates with the English. As a result, McFayden goes through much of the film with an appalled, morally exhausted expression -- good practice for his later role in "Saw III."
Mark Strong
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You Got:
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