The
Declaration of Arbroath was a declaration of
Scottish independenceScottish independence is a political ambition of a number of political parties, pressure groups and individuals for Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom and regain its status as an independent country....
, and set out to confirm
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
's status as an
independentIndependence is the self-government of a nation, country, or state by its residents and population, or some portion thereof, generally exercising sovereignty....
,
sovereignSovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
stateA sovereign state is a political association with effective internal and external sovereignty over a geographic area and population which is not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state...
and its use of military action when unjustly attacked. It is in the form of a letter submitted to
Pope John XXIIPope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
, dated 6 April 1320. Sealed by fifty-one
magnateMagnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
s and nobles, the letter is the sole survivor of three created at the time. The others were a letter from the King of Scots,
Robert IRobert I, King of Scots usually known in modern English as Robert the Bruce was King of the Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage Robert I, King of Scots (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329) usually known in modern English as Robert the Bruce...
, and a letter from four Scottish bishops which all presumably made similar points.
The Declaration was part of a broader diplomatic campaign which sought to assert Scotland's position as a kingdom, rather than being a feudal land controlled by England, as well as lift the excommunication of
Robert the BruceRobert I, King of Scots usually known in modern English as Robert the Bruce was King of the Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage Robert I, King of Scots (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329) usually known in modern English as Robert the Bruce...
.
The
Declaration of Arbroath was a declaration of
Scottish independenceScottish independence is a political ambition of a number of political parties, pressure groups and individuals for Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom and regain its status as an independent country....
, and set out to confirm
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
's status as an
independentIndependence is the self-government of a nation, country, or state by its residents and population, or some portion thereof, generally exercising sovereignty....
,
sovereignSovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
stateA sovereign state is a political association with effective internal and external sovereignty over a geographic area and population which is not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state...
and its use of military action when unjustly attacked. It is in the form of a letter submitted to
Pope John XXIIPope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
, dated 6 April 1320. Sealed by fifty-one
magnateMagnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
s and nobles, the letter is the sole survivor of three created at the time. The others were a letter from the King of Scots,
Robert IRobert I, King of Scots usually known in modern English as Robert the Bruce was King of the Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage Robert I, King of Scots (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329) usually known in modern English as Robert the Bruce...
, and a letter from four Scottish bishops which all presumably made similar points.
Overview
The Declaration was part of a broader diplomatic campaign which sought to assert Scotland's position as a kingdom, rather than being a feudal land controlled by England, as well as lift the excommunication of
Robert the BruceRobert I, King of Scots usually known in modern English as Robert the Bruce was King of the Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage Robert I, King of Scots (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329) usually known in modern English as Robert the Bruce...
. The Pope had recognised
Edward I of EnglandEdward I , also known as Edward Longshanks, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English Barons. In 1259 he briefly sided with a baronial...
's claim to overlordship of Scotland in 1305 and Bruce was excommunicated by the Pope for murdering
John ComynJohn III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch or John "the Red", also known simply as the Red Comyn was a Scottish nobleman who was an important figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence, and was Guardian of Scotland for a time...
on the altar in Greyfriars Church in Dumfries in 1306.
The Declaration made a number of much-debated
rhetoricRhetoric is one of the arts of using language as a means to persuade. Along with grammar and logic or dialectic, rhetoric is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. From ancient Greece to the late 19th Century, it was a central part of Western education, filling the need to train public...
al points: that Scotland had always been independent, indeed for longer than
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
; that
Edward I of EnglandEdward I , also known as Edward Longshanks, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English Barons. In 1259 he briefly sided with a baronial...
had unjustly attacked Scotland and perpetrated atrocities; that Robert the Bruce had delivered the Scottish
nationA nation is a body of people who share a real or imagined common history, culture, language or ethnic origin. The development and conceptualization of the nation is closely related to the development of modern industrial states and nationalist movements in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries,...
from this peril; and, most controversially, that the independence of Scotland was the prerogative of the Scots people, rather than the King of Scots. In fact it stated that the nobility would choose someone else to be king if the current one did anything to threaten Scotland's independence.
While this last point is often interpreted as an early expression of '
popular sovereigntyPopular sovereignty or the sovereignty of the people is the belief that the legitimacy of the state is created by the will or consent of its people, who are the source of all political power. It is closely associated with the social contract philosophers, among whom are Thomas Hobbes, John Locke,...
' – that kings could be chosen by the population rather than by
GodGod is a deity in theistic and deistic religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
alone – it can also be argued to have been a means of passing the responsibility for disobeying papal commands from the king to the people. In other words, Robert I was arguing that he was forced to fight an illegal war (as far as the
PopeThe pope is the Bishop of Rome and, as such, is leader of the worldwide Catholic Church...
was concerned, since they were meant to be fighting against the Infidel, not each other) or face being deposed. However, the context suggests that this claim was made to bolster Bruce’s position as the legitimate ruler of Scotland. A justification had to be given for the rejection of
King JohnJohn de Balliol was elected King of Scots from 1292 to 1296.-Early life:Little of John's early life is known. He was born between 1248 and 1250 at an unknown location, possibilities including Galloway, Picardy and Barnard Castle, County Durham...
in whose name William Wallace and Andrew de Moray rebelled in 1297. The reason given in the Declaration is that Bruce was able to defend Scotland from English aggression whereas, by implication, King John could not .
To this man, in as much as he saved our people, and for upholding our freedom, we are bound by right as much as by his merits, and choose to follow him in all that he does.
The idea of a contract between King and people was therefore advanced to the Pope in order to excuse Bruce's coronation whilst John de Balliol still lived in Papal custody.
Whatever the true motive, the fact remains that this 14th century document is one of the earliest expressions of a form of Scottish national consciousness yet found and one of the earliest documents in European history to imply that the king is chosen by the people.
Written in
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
, it is believed to have been drafted by
BernardBernard was a Tironensian abbot, administrator and bishop active in late thirteenth- and early fourteenth-century Scotland, during the First War of Scottish Independence...
,
abbotThe word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of
Arbroath AbbeyArbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. It was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to the deceased Saint Thomas Becket, whom the king had met at the English court...
(often wrongly identified with
Bernard de LintonBernard de Linton was the parson of Mordington mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where he is styled persone del Eglife de Mordington, del counte de Berewyk, "parson of the church of Mordington, in the county of Berwick". Nothing else is known of him...
), who was the Chancellor of Scotland at the time; and by bishop
Alexander KininmundAlexander de Kininmund was a 14th century Scottish churchman. The first mention of Alexander occurs when, as a canon of Dunkeld he is one of three ambassadors sent by King Robert I of Scotland to Avignon in 1320. The purpose of this embassy was to present a letter to Pope John XXII known as the...
. While dated to 6 April 1320 at
Arbroath AbbeyArbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. It was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to the deceased Saint Thomas Becket, whom the king had met at the English court...
, there was in fact no meeting of nobles there by whom the document was drafted. Instead the document may have been discussed at a council meeting at
Newbattle AbbeyNewbattle Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which has subsequently become a stately home and then an educational institution.-Monastery:...
,
MidlothianMidlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
, in March 1320, though firm evidence for such a debate is lacking. Arbroath was simply the location of the
royal chanceryA Chancery is the type of building that houses a diplomatic mission or embassy. The building can house one or several different nations' missions....
, Abbot Bernard's writing office, and the date provides evidence only for his part in proceedings.
The seals of eight
earlEarl was the Anglo-Saxon form and jarl the Scandinavian form of a title meaning "chieftain" and referring especially to chieftains set to rule a territory in a king's stead...
s and as many as forty-one other Scottish nobles were appended to the document, probably over the space of some weeks and months, with nobles sending in their seals to be used. The Declaration was then taken to the
papal courtThe Pontifical Household or Papal Household, called until 1968 the Papal Court . consists of dignitaries who assist the Pope in carrying out particular ceremonies either of religious or civil character....
at
AvignonThe Avignon Papacy, also known as the "Babylonian Captivity", was the period from 1305 to 1378 during which seven Popes resided in Avignon . The period was one of conflict and controversy during which French Kings held considerable sway over the Papacy and rulers across Europe felt sidelined by the...
by bishop Kininmund, Sir Adam Gordon and Sir Odard de Maubuisson.
The Pope seems to heed to the arguments contained by the Declaration, although its contemporary influence should not be overstated. It was in part due to his intervention that a short-lived
peace treatyA peace treaty is an agreement between two hostile parties, usually countries or governments, that formally ends an armed conflict. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to cease hostilities, or a surrender, in which an army agrees to give up arms.-Elements of treaties:There are...
between Scotland and
EnglandThe Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state and island country to the northwest of continental Europe. At its zenith, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands—what is today the legal unit of...
, the Treaty of Northampton, renouncing all English claims to Scotland, was finally signed by the English king,
Edward IIIEdward III was one of the most successful English monarchs of the Middle Ages. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into the most efficient military power in Europe...
, on the 1 March 1328.
The original copy of the Declaration that was sent to Avignon is lost. A copy of the Declaration survives among Scotland's state papers, held by the
National Archives of ScotlandBased in Edinburgh, the National Archives of Scotland are the national archives of Scotland. The NAS claims to have one of the most varied collection of archives in Europe...
in
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the second largest Scottish city, after Glasgow, and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas....
. The most widely known
English languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
translation was created by Sir James Fergusson, formerly Keeper of the Records of Scotland, from text that he reconstructed using this extant copy and early copies of the original draft. One passage in particular is often quoted from the Fergusson translation:
Influence
The stirring rhetoric of the Declaration has made it famous both in Scotland and internationally, and historian Linda MacDonald-Lewis believes it influenced the drafters of the United States Declaration of Independence. Debate still rages about the contemporary relevance of the document – whether it represented the genuine thoughts of the nobility regarding independence, sovereignty and the proto-democratic right of the people to choose a king, or whether it was above all a piece of royal
propagandaPropaganda is communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience...
and special pleading, drafted strictly under the control of the chief royal minister, Abbot Bernard. However, it is not disputed that the document subsequently played an influential role in the history of
Scottish national identityScottish national identity is a term referring to the sense of national identity and common culture of Scottish people and is shared by a considerable majority of the people of Scotland....
and the creation of the common belief (whether based in legal reality or not) that in Scotland it is the 'people' that are sovereign, rather than the monarch or parliament, as in England.
See also
- Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
- Claim of Right for Scotland
- Declaration of Calton Hill
The Declaration of Calton Hill was a declaration calling for an independent Scottish republic. It was declared on October 9, 2004, at Calton Hill in Edinburgh New Town, at the same time that Queen Elizabeth II was officially opening the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood.This was the...
- Tartan Day
Tartan Day is a celebration of Scottish heritage on April 6, the date on which the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320. A one-off event was held in New York City in 1982, but the current format originated in Canada in the mid 1980s. It spread to other communities of the Scottish diaspora in...
External links