Wallace was a key figure in the First War of Scottish Independence, but the film fictionalizes his origins, specific motivations (like prima nocta), and personal life.

A real and crucial figure who became King Robert I, but his relationship with Wallace, presence at Falkirk, and early loyalties are heavily dramatized and inaccurate.

Edward I "Longshanks" was a real king known for his campaigns against Scotland, but the film portrays him as a more one-dimensional, almost pantomime villain.

Isabella of France was real but was a child living in France during Wallace's uprising, married Edward II years later, and never met Wallace. Her affair is fiction.

The future Edward II was real, but his portrayal as overtly weak and effeminate, along with the invented relationship with Phillip, is historically inaccurate and exaggerated.

Stephen is an entirely fictional character created for comic relief and to represent the common man joining Wallace's cause.

There is no credible historical evidence that the "right of the first night" was ever formally instituted or practiced in medieval Britain.

Tradition holds Wallace's rebellion began after his wife (Marion Braidfute) was killed by the English Sheriff of Lanark, though the film's specific details are invented.

The film omits the crucial bridge, the key tactical feature of the actual battle, depicting it instead as an open-field engagement.

Wallace raided northern England but never reached or sacked the city of York.

Isabella was a child in France at the time, did not meet Wallace, and the timeline makes the affair and resulting lineage impossible.

Robert the Bruce was not present at the Battle of Falkirk and did not betray Wallace on the battlefield as depicted.

Wallace was captured after being betrayed by a Scottish knight, Sir John Menteith, who was loyal to Edward I, though not exactly as depicted with the nobles shown.

Robert the Bruce did lead the Scots to a decisive victory at Bannockburn in 1314, securing de facto independence years after Wallace's death.

Wallace was executed in London by being hanged, drawn, and quartered for treason. His defiance is noted, but his final words ("Freedom!") are undocumented invention.

The Scots did employ pike formations called schiltrons at Falkirk, though they ultimately proved vulnerable to English longbows and cavalry.

This dramatic event involving Prince Edward's fictional favourite, Phillip, is entirely fabricated.

While likely literate and possibly knew Latin or French, the extent of his education and travels (like to Rome) is undocumented and likely exaggerated in the film.

Internal divisions, shifting loyalties, and self-interest among the Scottish nobility were significant factors during the Wars of Independence.

Key events like the Battles of Stirling Bridge and Falkirk actually took place in the Scottish Lowlands, not the dramatic Highland scenery predominantly shown.

The short, pleated kilts worn are anachronistic by several centuries; clothing of the period included tunics, trews (trousers), and possibly early belted plaids.

Swords, axes, spears, and bows were appropriate, but the prevalence of large two-handed swords like Wallace's is debatable, and armor depictions are inconsistent.

The film correctly places the events within the timeframe of the First War of Scottish Independence under Edward I's reign.

The use of blue face paint by warriors is historically inaccurate for this period and people; it was associated with earlier Pictish tribes.

The castles generally fit the medieval period, though specific designs may be inaccurate or serve primarily cinematic needs rather than strict historical accuracy.

Omitting the crucial bridge from the Battle of Stirling fundamentally misrepresents the historical tactics and significance of the victory.

Characters would have spoken Middle Scots, Middle English, Norman French, and Latin; using modern English is a standard film convention for accessibility.

The film effectively portrays the often harsh, brutal, and muddy reality of medieval life and warfare, avoiding over-sanitization.