Why was William Wallace executed in 1305?

William Wallace was executed in 1305 because he was condemned as a traitor to King Edward I of England.12

Following his capture near Glasgow on August 5, 1305, Wallace was taken to London. On August 23, he was brought to Westminster Hall, where he was indicted and sentenced to death. Although Wallace maintained his innocence by arguing that he had never sworn allegiance to Edward, he was declared a traitor and subjected to a brutal execution—being hanged, disemboweled, beheaded, and quartered—at Smithfield.132

Throughout the Wars of Independence, Wallace had served as a primary leader of the Scottish resistance against Edward I’s attempts to exert feudal sovereignty over Scotland. Because of his persistent role in this rebellion, he was the one leader to whom Edward refused to offer any terms of capitulation, making his capture and execution a priority for the English crown.32