APOLOGY to PD

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

<--- hatched from an egg

[Payne]

bitches don't know about my super great Uncle William Wallace.

He's that guy that lost a war in Scotland, right?

That wasn't a war. That was a Mel Gibson impersonator going out to get a bottle of milk and a fresh butterie.

The English take that shit seriously.

[East Coast Hustle]

bitches don't know about my super great Uncle William Wallace.

isn't he that guy who got all of Scotland brutally smacked down on his behalf?

[Payne]

Well, to be fair to him, Scotland was already getting heavilly fucked over by King Eddie, who went as far as to choose John Bailiol ("Toom Tabard" or "Empty Shirt") as King of the Scots over Robert Bruce. Incidentally, the nickname Empty Shirt refers to the insignia that was torn from his breast more than the more modern understanding of the phrase, but either would fit pretty well. Bruce probably had the stronger claim, and would have made a better King (possibly), but Edward didn't want that.

Edwards insistance on ancient claims of English sovreignty over the Scottish throne, and therefore the land itself, didn't help matters, especially when Bailiol actually knelt to him and swore such. English garrisons in Scotland tend to piss of the locals, and Wallace was one of those who was pretty pissed, and along with Andrew Murray, conducted a fairly effective guerila campaign against them. It helped that Edward was embroiled in France at the time.

After dealing with France, Edward was able to focus his attention on Wallace and Scotland, and with Murray dead (the guy who kinda actually had a clue how to fight a battle), Scotlands fate was sealed.

If anyone can really be blamed for Scotland getting royally fucked over (for the umpteenth time), it would probably be the Bruces and the French, who both made promises they couldn't, wouldn't and realisitcally shouldn't keep. Against a backdrop of European power politics and ancient interests and enmities, Wallace was just a jumped up peasant with a romantic following.

[Cain]

Sorry for last post. I had a really bad week. Totally misunderstood a comment Doktor Howl mentioned over the weekend. My Irish temper got out of hand. You people aren't meat heads. And I really do like your writings and especially the recipes.

            INSERT FOOT in MOUTH. 

It's OK.  My response was written before my second coffee of the day which, as I'm sure some people will tell you, makes me more irritable than usual.

[Cain]

Well, to be fair to him, Scotland was already getting heavilly fucked over by King Eddie, who went as far as to choose John Bailiol ("Toom Tabard" or "Empty Shirt") as King of the Scots over Robert Bruce. Incidentally, the nickname Empty Shirt refers to the insignia that was torn from his breast more than the more modern understanding of the phrase, but either would fit pretty well. Bruce probably had the stronger claim, and would have made a better King (possibly), but Edward didn't want that.

Edwards insistance on ancient claims of English sovreignty over the Scottish throne, and therefore the land itself, didn't help matters, especially when Bailiol actually knelt to him and swore such. English garrisons in Scotland tend to piss of the locals, and Wallace was one of those who was pretty pissed, and along with Andrew Murray, conducted a fairly effective guerila campaign against them. It helped that Edward was embroiled in France at the time.

After dealing with France, Edward was able to focus his attention on Wallace and Scotland, and with Murray dead (the guy who kinda actually had a clue how to fight a battle), Scotlands fate was sealed.

If anyone can really be blamed for Scotland getting royally fucked over (for the umpteenth time), it would probably be the Bruces and the French, who both made promises they couldn't, wouldn't and realisitcally shouldn't keep. Against a backdrop of European power politics and ancient interests and enmities, Wallace was just a jumped up peasant with a romantic following.

It also made great practice for the Hundred Years War for Edward I's grandson.  On paper there is no way the English should have succeeded against the French, the most powerful, richest and heavily populated country in Europe at the time, even taking into account the treacherous nature of certain French nobles (see Philippe de Navarre, the 14th century's own Rashid Dostum, for more on that).  Of course, on paper, the French nobility's insane attitude towards chivalry, and English centralization and experience of fighting the Scots, would likely not be noted or considered of great importance, considering the other differences between the two sides.