As lengthy as 100 of us stay alive, by no means will we on any circumstances be subjected to the lordship of the English. It is in reality not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we’re preventing, however for freedom alone, which no trustworthy man offers up however with life itself.
From The Declaration of Arbroath
Medieval Scotland’s most iconic doc, the Declaration of Arbroath, just lately went on show on the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh for the primary time in 18 years.
The Declaration is a letter written in 1320 to Pope John XII by varied Scottish aristocrats and “the entire neighborhood of the realm of Scotland”. At this time, the papacy didn’t recognise Robert Bruce because the true king of Scotland.
The letter was a complicated diplomatic response by the Scots in opposition to claims from English kings that they had been the last word sovereigns of Scotland. The declaration is each a masterful piece of propaganda and one of many earliest statements of nationwide sovereignty present in Europe.
It is a keystone of Scottish historical past, much like Magna Carta in England which held that the English king was topic to the legislation of the land. The declaration has not been as broadly (even comically) misunderstood as Magna Carta however it’s nonetheless a contested piece of medieval historical past in at present’s politics.
Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser claimed just a few years in the past that Scots who opposed independence ought to have a good time the Declaration of Arbroath. This is a part of a practice inside Scottish unionism that sees Scotland’s victory within the wars of the early 14th century as essential to bringing concerning the excellent union between the 2 international locations in 1707.
SNP MP Joanna Cherry just lately praised the doc as “an announcement of the sovereignty of the Scottish individuals”. For Cherry, this assertion of fashionable sovereignty means the Declaration of Arbroath is incompatible with the “peculiarly English doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty”. This refers back to the custom that locations parliament on the centre of English political historical past.
The 700-year-old Declaration of Arbroath isn’t displayed due to its extraordinarily fragile state.
National Archives of Scotland, CC BY
Why the declaration actually issues
Both unionist and nationalist views of the declaration inform us little or no concerning the declaration itself. They are a reminder that the previous is a strong weapon in political arguments.
We should do not forget that the declaration’s authors had little want to see an Anglo-Scottish union centuries later, nor had a excessive opinion of fashionable sovereignty. Democracy too was an alien idea presently. This was a doc written for the elites, by the elites.
Indeed, there was additionally no idea of parliamentary sovereignty in England presently. It was not till the seventeenth century that such doctrines emerged in response to absolutely the political energy of the Stuart kings (paradoxically, on this context, a household who had been initially kings of Scotland).
The Declaration of Arbroath was not a legislation or a treaty however a letter to the pope. It had no authorized weight however was an announcement of political intent, and a product of political circumstances.
Robert I’s place was unstable presently. An act of parliament in 1318 tried to regulate rumours that had been spreading questioning his declare to be king.
When the doc was written, Robert’s brother Edward had been killed in Ireland two years earlier and the king had no sons to take over if he died. His grip on energy was extra precarious than he realised. A number of months after the declaration was despatched to the pope, a number of people had been executed or imprisoned for conspiracy to assassinate the king.
The declaration actually offers us an perception into the event of written agreements to make sure loyalty and help. At this time, nobles throughout Europe, together with Scotland, had been starting to put in writing down the phrases of their alliances and maintain an identical copies. The Declaration of Arbroath was an early instance of this.
Earlier research of the declaration concluded that nobles had been inspired to ship their seals to Newbattle, simply south of Edinburgh, the place preliminary drafts had been made. The ultimate copy was drawn up on the king’s writing workplace in Arbroath Abbey.
The nobles could have given their seals to the doc, and it might have claimed to be from the entire neighborhood of Scotland, however this was very a lot written for the king’s personal ends.
In this respect it was the alternative of Magna Carta, by which the English king was compelled to just accept a doc in his identify compelled upon him by his barons. Robert I used to be a king who compelled his barons to just accept a doc in their very own identify.
The indisputable fact that the doc was produced to serve the instant pursuits of the king shouldn’t diminish its significance. The Declaration of Arbroath is an enchanting doc as a result of it tells us a lot about how politics and concepts of sovereignty performed out within the 14th century.
It drew on biblical and classical precedents, creating a narrative concerning the kingdom’s origins. The origin fable given within the declaration could appear to be fanciful fiction at present, but it surely resonated with the sensibilities of the time. In the 14th century, myths about historical past had been useful political weapons and, despite the fact that these myths have modified, they nonetheless stay highly effective at present.
Events of the intervening seven centuries have allowed individuals with opposing political concepts to name on it for their very own functions. Yet, historical past is just too vital to permit sure bits to be cherry picked for modern-day functions. It is barely when thought-about of their instant historic context that paperwork just like the Declaration of Arbroath, might be understood.
The indisputable fact that there are a lot of methods of viewing this fascinating doc remind us that the historian’s job is unending.
Gordon McKelvie doesn’t work for, seek the advice of, personal shares in or obtain funding from any firm or organisation that might profit from this text, and has disclosed no related affiliations past their tutorial appointment.