This is a "best list" of stories with a noble hero and a worthy heroine set in times when America’s future was on the line. All are good ones!

August 23, 1305 is the day the Scottish hero Sir William Wallace died at the hands of England's king, a martyr for Scotland's freedom. If you've read my novel Bound by Honor, you know how much Wallace influenced Robert the Bruce, who became King of the Scots, and his supporters, including his friend, Angus Og Macdonald, Lord of the Isles.

What do we know of this Scottish hero?

Wallace had an advanced education. He began reading at a very young age. He spoke at least four languages fluently, and possibly more, having Gaelic as his native tongue and learning Latin, French, German and possibly English from his religious education. He was an accomplished political mind, able to strategize tactically, and served overseas in France and throughout Europe as a diplomat for Scotland. He possessed strong leadership capabilities, motivating the Scottish people to place their trust in him. Raising up an army of rugged countrymen to fight against the English, his organizational and training capacities must have been astounding, especially considering the fact that he led an army that was much smaller than the English.

Wallace was a man of faith. He grew up in a prominent Christian family, and he learned early to develop strong convictions toward prayer and the importance of seeking God’s will. Prior to submitting to the call to the battle, Wallace desired sincerely to become a Benedictine monk. Having been educated by his uncles who were Augustinian priests, Wallace likely held a great deal of biblical knowledge. As a boy he was given a Psalter – and when tried for treason, he asked that that very Psalter be held in front of his face until he died.

Wallace was a man motivated by freedom. Sir James Fergusson quoted Wallace to have said, “My son, freedom is best, I tell thee truth, of all things to be won. Then never live within the bond of slavery.” Wallace desired people to treasure and protect liberty with their own lives, seeing it as the only certainty for the continuance of the church, the family and the nation. His heroic martyrdom for freedom’s sake demonstrates the intensity of his passion for freedom.