The Scottish Chiefs

Jane Porter (1776-1850) has written an historical novel well suited for older children and adults. Edward 1 King of England had arrived in Scotland at the head of an immense army. He forced the Scottish king and his nobles to recognize him as their king on the field at Dunbar. The story begins. " Bright was the summer of 1296. The war which had desolated Scotland was then at an end. Ambition seemed satiated; and the vanquished, after having passed under the yoke of their enemy, concluded they might wear their chains in peace. Such were the hopes of those Scottish noblemen who, early in the preceding spring, had signed the bond of submission to a ruthless conqueror, purchasing life at the price of all that makes life estimable-liberty and honor." William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who is known for leading a resistance during the Wars for Scottish Independence and regarded as a patriot and national hero. Wallace encounters secret passageways, disguises, and a quintet of horrible villains as he fights for Scotland at the turn of the fourteenth century.