author
active 1470-1492 Blind Hary
A shadowy but unforgettable figure in Scottish literature, this wandering poet is best known for turning William Wallace into a national legend. His great poem mixes history, patriotism, and storytelling in a way that shaped how generations imagined Scotland’s heroic past.
1 Audiobook
Wallace; or, the Life and Acts of Sir William Wallace, of Ellerslie
by active 1470-1492 Blind Hary
About the author
Little is known for certain about Blind Hary, also called Blind Harry or Henry the Minstrel, but he is generally identified as a Scottish poet and minstrel active in the late 15th century. Traditional accounts place him in the circle of Scotland’s makars, and records suggest he received payments from King James IV in the early 1490s.
He is famous for The Wallace, a long narrative poem about Sir William Wallace, composed around the 1470s or 1480s and preserved in a manuscript dated 1488. The poem was written long after Wallace’s lifetime, so it is not treated as straightforward history, but its vivid battles, bold speeches, and larger-than-life patriotism gave it enormous influence.
More than a chronicle, The Wallace helped create the popular image of Wallace as a heroic defender of Scottish independence. Even where the facts are uncertain, Blind Hary’s storytelling left a lasting mark on Scottish cultural memory and on the legend of one of the country’s most celebrated national heroes.