The Netflix original movie – Outlaw King
Many of us know the story of Braveheart, where William Wallace leads a major rebellion against Edward I in the late 13th century. That movie did not only show the English as repressing the Scots but it also showed another prominent Scottish figure, Robert the Bruce, as being supplicant to the English and enabling their actions until finally he successfully revolts against the English during the reign of Edward II. Many historians had criticized this aspect, where Robert the Bruce was shown in a negative light.
In fact, Robert the Bruce, along with many Scots, did for a time accept Edward I as the king, but Robert the Bruce may have simply waited and calculated for an opportune time rather than risk a rebellion that was likely to fail. The Netflix movie Outlaw King tells his story and shows a fictional version of how Scotland freed themselves from English rule.
The story begins with Robert the Bruce, along with other prominent Scottish nobles, meeting with Edward I to accept him as their king in the early 1300s. They had already led a rebellion that was unsuccessful, where Edward I, Hammer of the Scots, had earned his nickname by defeating the Scots. Robert still wants to be king, his family has ancient lineage to the throne of Scotland, but other claimants exist for the Scottish throne. None of the claimants are in a position to attack the English because they are weak and English also possesses key areas of Scotland. John Comyn was another Scottish noble who might have had an even stronger claim to the Scottish throne.[1]
Categories: Historically Accurate
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