Today is July 22, and on this date in history, in 1298, at Falkirk, near the Firth of Forth in Scotland, the Scots Army under William Wallace suffered defeat at the hands of Edward I, King of England.  The English outnumbered the Scots by about four to one, and scattered the Scots army as a result of the battle.

This defeat is portrayed in the movie, but it was not as decisive as you might imagine from watching the flick.  It did cause the downfall of Wallace, however, who wandered around for the next several years trying to drum up foreign support until he was taken and executed.

This was the first battle in which the longbow was decisive and was a signal for the future where weaponary would take the place of individual bravery.