logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2024
33m 17s

The Real Braveheart

History Hit
About this episode

This episode contains strong language, graphic scenes of torture and sexual content

The chances are, when we think of William Wallace, we think of Mel Gibson in Braveheart, charging down a hill in a kilt with his face painted blue. Maybe we're fascinated in Wallace’s trial and grisly death and its influence on our understanding of war crimes? 


But in this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Eleanor Janega sets out to find out about the real William Wallace and his private life. Eleanor has stopped by our sister podcast, Betwixt the Sheets, to chat with Dr. Kate Lister, about Wallace and what we can truly know about


Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code MEDIEVAL - sign up here.


You can take part in our listener survey here.

Up next
Jul 8
Chaucer's Wife of Bath: Medieval Feminist
This episode contains explicit language and themesWe're revelling in the Canterbury Tales this week; who else to kick things off with a bang than the scandalous Wife of Bath?Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr. Hetta Howes to celebrate Chaucer's scandalous and witty Wife of Bath, ... Show More
56m 2s
Jul 4
St. Christopher & Summertime Saints
Ever worn a St. Christopher medallion and wondered about the man carrying the Christ child across a river? Or heard of St. Uncumber, the bearded female saint invoked by women desperate to escape unwanted marriages? In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis is once again joined ... Show More
47m 21s
Jul 1
Medieval Hungary
Dr. Eleanor Janega sifts through the myths to uncover the foundations of medieval Hungary and its peoples. From the legendary tales of the country's origins to the process of Christianization under King Stephen, Eleanor and Professor Nora Berend discuss how various migrations sha ... Show More
43m 48s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2024
The Sex Life of William 'Braveheart' Wallace
If you've seen the film Braveheart, you might have certain expectations about the real history of William Wallace. Separating fact from fiction can be tricky, but what do we really know about this iconic Scot, and the supposed relationships that sparked his rebellion against the ... Show More
35m 58s
Nov 2021
William Wallace
Despised by the English, mistrusted by the Scottish nobles, and revered by his countrymen: William Wallace is synonymous with the battle for Scottish freedom. But scratch away at the legend, and even the most basic details are disputed. Where he was born, who he married, and what ... Show More
45m 31s
Feb 2016
Episode #13- Who Was The Real Braveheart? (Part II)
The Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace is so deeply enveloped in mythology that finding the real man can seem almost impossible. His life story has doubled as both entertainment and propaganda since it was first recounted by the minstrel Blind Harry in the 1400's. The film ... Show More
44m 43s
Jan 2023
Wallis Simpson
She is surely one of the most fascinating figures in royal history. Perceived as a bad match for Edward VIII, Wallis Simpson is at the centre of the scandal surrounding his abdication. But what do we know about her life besides this? From childhood to exile - Anne Sebba introduce ... Show More
39m 16s
Dec 2022
Banned History
How much did Britain and its allies know about the Holocaust? Could the Bengal Famine of 1943 have been helped? And was Elizabeth I really the Virgin Queen?  Lynsey Calver is a history teacher, and in this episode, she helps us to fill in some of the gaps on the history curriculu ... Show More
34m 12s
Aug 2022
Viking Sex
Who was Loki having sex with? What is a horse penis cult? And were the Vikings as brutal as we think they were? Betwixt the Sheets today, Kate is joined by Dr Cat Jarman, one of the hosts of our sister podcast Gone Medieval. From the recollections of Ibn Fadlan to Icelandic sagas ... Show More
47m 24s
Nov 2023
Mary, Queen of Scots
This is the story of the incredible rise and fall of Mary, Queen of Scots. She was queen of Scotland, she was queen of France, and she could have been queen of England. She led armies, lived as a fugitive, became embroiled in love affairs and spent nearly two decades in jail. Dan ... Show More
41m 55s
Apr 2023
Catherine Howard: Henry VIII's Fifth Wife
Catherine Howard was Queen Consort - and fifth wife - to Henry VIII for just 16 months before he had her executed for treason for committing adultery. Since Victorian times, historians have labelled her as lewd and promiscuous, but there was an altogether more complex young woman ... Show More
52m 15s
Nov 2023
Gunpowder Plot: Tudor Origins
The Gunpowder Plot is one of the hinge events of British history - an act of terror the roots of which stretch back to the Tudor period and Henry VIII's break with Rome. It's a story of Holy War, divided loyalties and religious hatred. And it has never been more timely.  In this ... Show More
56m 32s
Mar 2024
Scandalous Sex Lives of Royalty
We've been fascinated by royalty for hundreds of years, but what do we know about their sex lives? Quite a lot, it turns out. Today we're revisiting an episode Kate recorded with bestselling author Eleanor Herman to find out about what it took to not just be a mistress of a royal ... Show More
42m 55s