Nitpicking Braveheart – William Wallace, Trendsetter

Much has been written about the historical inaccuracies of Braveheart in the thirty years since its release. Many a writer has decried the costuming as a chief irksome affront to historical accuracy.

Sharon Krossa (noted professor of Medieval Studies) noted that the film contains numerous historical inaccuracies, beginning with the wearing of belted plaid (feileadh mór léine), which was not introduced until the 16th century, by Wallace and his men. In that period “no Scots […] wore belted plaids (let alone kilts of any kind).” Moreover, when Highlanders finally did begin wearing the belted plaid, it was not “in the rather bizarre style depicted in the film”. She compares the inaccuracy to “a film about Colonial America showing the colonial men wearing 20th-century business suits, but with the jackets worn back-to-front instead of the right way around.”

We here at the Nitpicker’s Guild know better. Braveheart should not be dismissed for the “historical inaccuracies” depicted on screen. Instead, William Wallace should be praised as a visionary futurist of Scottish men’s fashion.

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