Well, apparently it's time to take a break from formal posts. So after Hawkins' proposal, I found out about our candidate from a cult movie, it's strange that no one has proposed it yet.
What's the work?[]
Braveheart a film about Scotland's struggle for independence against English rule. The main character of the film is William Wallace, the leader of the Scots, played by Mel Gibson. Now let's talk about King Edward I of England.
Who is King Edward I of England / What has he done?[]
Edward I, also known as Longshanks because of his height over 6 feet, was the king of England and, presumably, he was born into the royal family (he is based on the man of the same name, who actually existed) and at some point he married an unknown woman and she bore him Edward, who became the prince and heir to Edward II, who, unlike his father, did not have high intelligence, strength, and so on, to the chagrin of Edward Sr.
Edward decided to expand his power and he invaded Shaun Scotland after the death of Alexander III of Scotland, who left no heir to the throne and conquers it. He executes several Scottish nobles by hanging them, including a boy no older than William Wallace at the time, who may have been the son of a nobleman or a squire attending the meeting.
After that, he fights with France for 20 years. After so many years, he rises again and gives his nobles land and privileges in Scotland, and also restores the ancient law of Ius Primae Noctis, which gives the English lords in Scotland the right to demand the "first night" of "any peasant girl in their domain after marriage, thus he authorizes mass rape in Scotland.Moreover, one of the victims becomes Murron McClanno (Wallace's wife), whom the English soldiers tried to rape and while Wallace fought them off, Murron is caught and executed, which provokes Wallace to organize an uprising and begins to arrange several sabotage from King Edward.
Seeing Wallace's rebellion, Edward I orders his son to stop Wallace by any means possible, while he himself visits the French king to secure an alliance between England and France. However, after he gets the severed head of his nephew (hinting that he has either a brother or a sister) and then he sends his son's wife, the daughter of the French king, to meet with Wallace in order to negotiate with him.However, in fact, Edward hopes that Wallace will somehow kill her and this will infuriate the French king and he will declare war on Wallace. However, just in case. Unfortunately for Edward I, this does not happen, since Wallace refuses the bribe and plus Isabella fell in love with Wallace.
In a rage, he decides to take matters into his own hands and decides to lead his army himself in order to suppress the uprising once and for all.Edward seems to have a villainous breakdown, as he says that he is ready to turn Scotland to ash in order to destroy Wallace. He bribes two Scottish nobles, Mornay and Lochlan, so that together with their people they would flee at a critical moment and also convinces Robert the Bruce to fight him. He then, led by his army, engages in battle with Wallace and his rebels at Falkirk and goes according to Edward's plan. Mornay and Lochlan escape, plus Morrison and Campbell, two of Wallace's friends, are killed in the battle.During the battle, Edward orders his archers to shoot at the Scots, not paying attention that it will injure and even kill his soldiers, but he simply makes excuses that his people are consumables.Wallace desperately tries to kill the ruthless tyrant, but Robert prevents him, but seeing the suffering caused to Edward and his troops, he takes Wallace to safety and releases him.
Then, however, Edward's health deteriorates so much that he loses his voice. Isabbela then comes to him and gives him a kick in the ass, saying that she is pregnant, but she carries Wallace's child and that with the death of Prince Edward, their bloodline will be destroyed, which shocks Edward. He then learns that Wallace has been captured and it is evident that Edward (possibly by signs) orders to slowly and painfully torture him to death in a public execution, namely Hanged, drawn and quartered.And he himself listens to Wallace from his deathbed. However, Wallace, in spite of all the suffering, does not give up and before being beheaded, he screams "FREEDOM!" Karmic death in all its glory, did you not notice the irony here? Edward indirectly destroyed the life of one person and this man, before his death, was able to kill the king with his powerful phrase and the fact that he did not break even before death.
Freudian Excuse / Mitigating Factors[]
He is just a sadistic and power-hungry tyrant who only cares about himself. He does not show any concern for his son, as he emotionally and physically abused him. Moreover, he kills Philip, the advisor and possible lover of his son (yes they may be gay, oh god) and when his son attacked him in a rage, Edward beat him mercilessly. In the end, it is clear that Edward views his son simply as an extension of his legacy.
He also shows no concern for his troops, as he is willing to let them die when he orders his archers to shoot at the Scots, even though his troops are near them and there is a high risk of killing them. He even admits that he sees them as just a consumable.
Heinous standards[]
He is the main antagonist of the film and the one who sets the standards. His son does nothing to distinguish himself and in general he looks more like a punishment and generally a sympathetic villain. Edward's soldiers simply carry out his orders, the people who torture Murron to rape, as well as the magister who executed Hate Sink as a whole and they have few characteristics, and they are pale in comparison with their king.
Edward himself bears one way or another responsible for all the troubles of the film. He is the one who allowed the mass rape to happen, and is also ready to allow a war to start, just to suppress the uprising, when he wanted Isabbela to die at the hands of Wallace, in order to provoke France and was ready to destroy the whole country, because of petty anger against the main character. In short, all his crimes have already been told and I think this is enough to make him stand out.
Verdict[]
With all that said, I think he's an easy candidate. The real-life Edward was also ruthless, but he at least loved his family and was generally not as bad as his film counterpart.