Blind Harry and the Wallace

                                Henry the Minstrel

The author of the Wallace has become known as Blind Harry though he was also known as Henry the Minstrel to contemporaries . He is thought to have  lived from 1440 to 1492 though these dates are not certain. Little is known about his life though there is a record of a payment to him at the court of King James IV. His famous poem describing the life of William Wallace is thought to have been written around 1477. The poem is thought by historians to be based on oral traditions about Wallace current in Scotland at this time. These traditions are thought to be faithfully transcribed by Blind Harry in his famous poem.

                                   Reflecting the Current Politics

The poem is also thought to represent the current political events of Harry’s own time. As “the Wallace”  is thought by historians to be a reaction to what was widely seen at the time as the pro-English policies of King James III (1460 – 1488) . He as the king who was on the Scottish throne in the period in which the poem was written had adopted a more conciliatory policy towards England. This new policy was widely resented in Scotland particularly by many in the aristocracy. Blind Harry’s poem is thought to be a reflection of this disquiet. The Wallace has established the reputation of Blind Harry as a poet. It has also boosted the fame of William Wallace since the time of its composition in the fifteenth century.