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The battle of Stirling Bridge was a landmark victory that restored Scottish confidence and pride, erasing the memory of the debacle at the Dunbar war. The problem of Wallace's election in 1298 is that he was sole Guardian and that he was chosen because he had proved himself the military champion of his country. Between Murray's death in November and the battle of Falkirk in the following July, Wallace alone was in command. Scots had fought to rid their land of foreign invaders and to restore their lawful king. In 1298 Edward I had won in the Falkirk war and destroyed the authority of William Wallace. Wallace may have been moving towards the conclusion that the Scots could never achieve victory by their own efforts, for a year later he left for Paris to lobby the French king for support. The whole force of the Scottish diplomatic effort at Paris and Rome had been concentrated on the recognition of King John's legitimate title to kingship and the necessity of his restoration. On August 1305 Wallace was captured by John of Menteith. He committed for the robberies, homicides and felonies in the realm of England and in the land of Scotland. No opportunity was given for him to answer the charges. The sentence was to be carried out immediately. He responded to the treason charge, "I could not be a traitor to Edward, for I was never his subject.” On 23 August 1305 Wallace was taken from the Westminster Hall. He was hanged, drawn and quartered. His head was placed on London bridge, and the body quartered, with parts dispatched to Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling, and Perth. Wallace had done his work right well and truly, as builder of the foundations of Scottish Independence. The historical consensus regarding Wallace that emerged during the nineteenth century was that he inspired the national awakening of Scotland. The creation of an image of William Wallace is very important to the nationalist and the Scottish political party, especially members of Scottish National Party. They think that the Union of 1707 would be to finish the work of Wallace. So the story of Wallace came to be most associated with the nationalist movement in the 19th and 20th centuries.