Declaration of Arbroath. The 'Tyninghame' copy of the Declaration from 1320 AD The Declaration of Arbroath is a declaration of Scottish independence, made in 1320. It is in the form of a letter submitted to Pope John XXII, dated 6 April 1320, intended to confirm Scotland's status as an independent, sovereign state and defending Scotland's right to use military action when unjustly attacked.
Generally believed to have been written in the Arbroath Abbey by Bernard of Kilwinning, then Chancellor of Scotland and Abbot of Arbroath,[1] and sealed by fifty-one magnates 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 I, and a letter from four Scottish bishops which all presumably made similar points. Overview[edit] 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.
See also[edit] References[edit] External links[edit] Declaration of Arbroath - Wars of Independence. Alongside the battles and bloodshed of the Wars of Independence there was a diplomatic struggle - a war of words. Robert the Bruce and King Edward II vied for the support of the Pope. The Pope was a powerful figure in the medieval age. Bruce’s killing of Comyn on holy ground at Greyfriars Kirk in Dumfries had led to his excommunication.
The Pope had turned his back on Bruce - in 1318 the Bruce, his lieutenants and his bishops were all excommunicated. Bruce reacted by having three letters sent to the Pope. ...we have been set free... by our most tireless prince, King and lord, the lord Robert... At Arbroath Abbey eight Scots earls and 38 barons attached their seals to the Declaration. The letters, written in Latin and dated 6 April 1320, were carried to Pope John XXII. The Declaration of Arbroath, in translation, has become a rallying cry. ...as long as a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be subjected to the lordship of the English. Declaration of Arbroath. Having soundly defeated King Edward II at the Battle of Bannockburn after nearly 20 years of war, King Robert the Bruce and the Scottish people might have reasonably hoped to be left in peace.
But the English king did not give up so easily and the Scottish Wars of Independence continued. In the propaganda war, the Scots were at a disadvantage in relation to the influential power of the Pope in Rome - he was more interested in gaining support for another Crusade to the Holy Land from the English king. The Pope had excommunicated Robert the Bruce, not unreasonably, following Bruce's murder of a rival to the throne on the altar steps of a Franciscan priory. But prompted by the English king, the Pope also excommunicated all the people of Scotland.
The Declaration of Arbroath (sometimes called the Declaration of Independence) was Scotland's response to the excommunication. The Declaration of Arbroath is more correctly entitled "Letter of Barons of Scotland to Pope John XXII". The Declaration of Arbroath. The Declaration of Arbroath is arguably the most important document in Scottish history.
It came in the form of a letter from Scottish nobles to Pope John XXII and proclaimed Scotland’s status as an independent sovereign state, asserting King Robert the Bruce as the King of Scots. The letter was drawn up at Arbroath Abbey during the Wars of Independence between Scotland and England. On 6 April 1320 the Declaration was signed and sealed in the grounds of the abbey by 39 Scottish nobles. The declaration is the first written concept of nationhood and is considered by many to be the founding document of the Scottish nation. Learn more about this turning point in Scottish history for yourself with a visit to the fishing town of Arbroath in Angus. Throughout the town you will find references to the Declaration including a large mural depicting the signing at Arbroath Station and a statue close to the beach front.
Sadly, the original copy of the declaration was lost. Declaration of Arbroath 1320. The Declaration of Arbroath 1320 by John Prebble The Declaration of Arbroath was and has been unequalled in its eloquent plea for the liberty of man. From the darkness of medieval minds it shone a torch upon future struggles which its signatories could not have foreseen or understood. The author of this noble Latin address is unknown, though it is assumed to have been composed by Bernard de Linton, Abbot of Arbroath and Chancellor of Scotland.
In its mixture of defiance and supplication, nonsensical history and noble thought, two things make the Declaration of Arbroath the most important document in Scottish history. Firstly it set the will and the wishes of the people above the King. Secondly, the manifesto affirmed the nation's independence in a way no battle could, and justified it with a truth that is beyond nation and race. From The Lion in the North: One Thousand Years of Scotland's History Penguin Books. The Declaration of Arbroath 1320 — English Translation. History - Scottish History. The Declaration of Arbroath. 1320 Declaration of Arbroath Scottish Clans Tartans Kilts Crests and Gifts. Before Pope John XXII, Scotland had been recognised as an independent nation by the papacy.
Pope John preferred Edward II’s version of who was ruler of Scotland however, and in 1319 he accused four Scottish bishops of rebellion and summoned them to answer to him. Robert I had been King of Scotland for thirteen years yet the Pope’s letters still addressed him as ‘Robert Bruce, Governor of Scotland’. Bernard of Linton, Abbot of the Abbey of Arbroath wrote, in Latin, the Declaration of Arbroath. Sealed by eight earls and thirty-one barons, it is also known as the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration begins by describing the origins of the Scots and the adoption of St Andrew as Patron Saint.
It identifies the treatment England served upon the Scots and how Robert I: ‘..has brought salvation to his people through the safeguarding of our liberties’, continuing: SRSM - Declaration of Arbroath 1320. Every year we march, with others, to commemorate the Declaration of Arbroath, April 6, 1320, in which the Scottish people not only sent a message to the Imperial English Court and to the Vatican which was the Equivalent of the United Nations in these days, but also to King Robert the Bruce in a clear message informing him that if he betrayed Scotland to the English he would be removed forthwith, as was done with clan chiefs who did not shape up. This was quite unique in history.
Every Scots school child was taught about the Declaration of Magna Carta, which gave more power to the English Barons and Clergy with nothing for the revolting English peasants. In fact the English King merely ordered the peasant leader to kneel, then beheaded him. It is also claimed that the US Constitution was based on, or inspired by the 1320 Declaration. It is commonly assumed the Arbroath Abbey was destroyed by the Reformation. Scots Independence Tour - The Declaration of Arbroath. Parallels between this Declaration of Arbroath and the latter American Declaration of Independence are clear. Both were a statement of human rights asserting the self-determination of a nation, and both were fuelled by the catalyst of arrogant Anglo-Saxon imperialism.
Quia quamdiu Centum ex nobis viui remanserint, nuncquam Anglorum dominio aliquatenus volumus subiugari. Non enim propter gloriam, diuicias aut honores pugnamus set propter libertatem solummodo quam Nemo bonus nisi simul cum vita amittit. ...for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom .... for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.
6 April 1320 - the Signing of the Declaration of Arbroath. Tartan Day Festival celebrates all that is great about Scotland and its people, but one of its most important focuses is the Declaration of Arbroath. Signed at Arbroath Abbey on April 6 1320 - during the Scottish Wars of Independence - it took the form of a letter from the Scottish nobles to the Pope. In it, they declared Scotland to be an independent nation with the right to live free from rule or oppression by other countries. It also claimed that Scottish independence was the right and responsibility of the Scottish people, not the King, and that the nobles would choose another king if they had to.
It is probably best known for the passage: "...for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself" Letters: ‘The Declaration of Arbroath’; letter of the barons of Scotland to Pope John XXII. [ 1320/4/1 ] * [print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following] Letters: ‘The Declaration of Arbroath’; letter of the barons of Scotland to Pope John XXII Scimus, sanctissime pater et domine, et ex antiquorum gestis et libris colligimus quod inter ceteras nationes egregias nostra scilicet Scottorum natio multis preconiis fuerit insignita, que de majori Schithia † per mare Tirenum † et columpnas † Herculis transiens et in Hispania inter ferocissimas gentes † per multa temporum curricula residens a nullis † quantumcumque † barbaricis poterat allicubi gentibus † subjugari.
Indeque veniens post mille et † ducentos annos a transitu populi Israelitici per mare rubrum † sibi sedes in occidente quas nunc optinet, † expulsis primo † Britonibus et Pictis omnino deletis, licet per Norwagienses, Dacos † et Anglicos † sepius inpugnata fuerit, † multis cum † victoriis et laboribus quamplurimis adquisivit, ipsasque ab omni servitute liberas, ut priscorum † testantur historie, semper tenuit. . [ First Row ] Declaration of Arbroath - The National Archives of Scotland. The Declaration was written during the long war of independence with England which started with Edward l's attempt to conquer Scotland in 1296.
When the deaths of Alexander III and his granddaughter Margaret, Maid of Norway, left Scotland without a monarch, Edward used the invitation to help choose a successor as an excuse to revive English claims of overlordship. When the Scots resisted, he invaded. Edward refused to allow William Wallace's victory at Stirling Bridge in 1297 to derail his campaign. In 1306 Robert the Bruce seized the throne and began a long struggle to secure his position against internal and external threat. His success at Bannockburn in 1314, when he defeated an English army under Edward II, was a major achievement but the English still did not recognise Scotland's independence or Bruce's position as king. On the European front, by 1320 Scottish relations with the papacy were in crisis after they defied papal efforts to establish a truce with England. The Declaration of Arbroath - Scottish Declaration of Independence - Tartan Day Gift Shop!
THE DECLARATION OF ARBROATH. Taking Liberties - Star Items - Declaration of Arbroath. In the early 1300s, Scotland's independence was under threat from the schemes of Edward I of England. But they fought back under two national heroes, William Wallace and Robert Bruce, and produced this defiant and rousing statement of national liberty What were the events leading up to the Declaration? In 1290 Margaret, heir to the Scottish throne, died with no natural successor aged only seven. The Scots turned to Edward I of England to pick a leader, in the hope of avoiding civil war.
But his choice, John Balliol, rebelled in 1296. Edward marched into the heart of Scotland, defeated him, and seized the symbol of Scottish nationality, the Stone of Destiny, at Scone. (Edward had it incorporated within the Coronation Throne in Westminster. How were William Wallace and Robert Bruce involved? The Scots fought back against Edward, the most famous rebel being William Wallace. Robert Bruce saw Wallace's death. They made their peace and Robert became one of the Regents of Scotland.
Who wrote it? US links to Declaration of Arbroath. Listen US links to Declaration of Arbroath A rare copy of the Declaration of Arbroath has been gifted to the US National Archives by the Culture and External Affairs Secretary. In recognition of the historical connections between the American Declaration of Independence and Scotland's most treasured document, a limited edition print of the Declaration of Arbroath was today presented by Fiona Hyslop on a visit to the National Archives in Washington, DC. In 1998, the US Senate passed a Resolution designating every April 6 as Tartan Day in the United States, recognising the links between these two cherished documents.
Ms Hyslop said: "The Declaration of Arbroath is Scotland's greatest documentary treasure. It sought international recognition of our nation's independence and placed great emphasis on the importance of freedom. "That is why I am so delighted to present this rare, limited edition print of the Declaration of Arbroath to the US National Archives. William J. Declaration of Arbroath | National Tartan Day. A Model for the American Declaration of Independence:Tartan Day Tribute to 1320 A.D.
Declaration of ArbroathBy B. R. Forbes Reprinted by permission from the Spring/Summer 1999 edition, #219, of the Newsletter of the St. Andrew's Society of Washington D.C. Scotland expelled the English armies under Edward II with its victory at Bannockburn in 1314 and with the recapture of Berwickin 1319. Thus the Declaration of Arbroath was prepared as a formal Declaration of Independence. In its mixture of defiance and supplication, nonsensical history and noble thought, two things make the Declaration of Arbroath the most important document in Scottish history.
Firstly it set the will and the wishes of the people above the King. Secondly, the manifesto affirmed the nation's independence in a way no battle could, and justified it with a truth that is beyond nation and race. The original, delivered to the Pope in Avignon is lost, but was acknowledged on 28th August 1320. Scottish News | The Scottish influence on the US Declaration of Independence, from Arbroath to the Enlightenment. Portrait of Professor William Small by Tilly Kettle Speaking at the launch of Tartan Day in April 2008, George W Bush, then President of the United States, spoke of the great debt of honour that Americans held for those of Scottish descent who have “made enduring contributions to our Nation with their hard work, faith and values”.
He went on to acknowledge the role that the Scottish Declaration of Arbroath played in forming the American constitution citing the “Scots’ strong dedication to liberty”. and also their “tradition of freedom” that they brought with them to the New World. Just how much influence Scots have had in forming the constitution of America is often debated. We need your support. Please donate to The Caledonian Mercury Undoubtedly those who drew up the American declaration were influenced by great thinkers from Aristotle onwards. Jefferson was himself of Scottish descent, tracing his lineage back to King Robert I of Scotland. America's spirit of freedom was born in Arbroath in 1320 | UK news | The Observer. Bernard de Linton.