<P> The "Irish conscripts" at the Battle of Falkirk are also unhistorical; there were no Irish troops at Falkirk (although many of the English army were actually Welsh), and it is anachronistic to refer to conscripts in the Middle Ages (although there were feudal levies). </P> <P> The two - handed long swords used by Gibson in the film were not in wide use in the period . A one - handed sword and shield would be more accurate . </P> <P> Sections of the English media accused the film of harbouring Anglophobia . The Economist called it "xenophobic", and John Sutherland writing in The Guardian stated that: "Braveheart gave full rein to a toxic Anglophobia". </P> <P> In The Times, MacArthur said "the political effects are truly pernicious . It's a xenophobic film ." Ian Burrell of The Independent has noted, "The Braveheart phenomenon, a Hollywood - inspired rise in Scottish nationalism, has been linked to a rise in anti-English prejudice". </P>

Who played robert the bruce father in braveheart