What Scotland’s Declaration of Arbroath (1320) Actually Says...
Channel: Celtic History Decoded
Date: 2022-04-05

What Does Scotland’s Declaration of Arbroath (1320) Actually Say?

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What is said in the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath? Have you ever read the full declaration? As the document contains so many interesting elements, I thought I would read the full Declaration of Arbroath to celebrate the fact that it was written 702 years ago on the 6th April, 1320.  

The declaration was a letter written to Pope John XXII, the head of the Catholic Church at the time. It is thought to have been written in Arbroath Abbey on behalf of the barons of Scotland by Bernard of Kilwinning, an abbot and the Chancellor of the Kingdom of Scotland.
 
Given that the first paragraph mentions a long list of names, I will list these names at the end of the reading. The Declaration of Arbroath states that…
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What do you make of the Declaration of Arbroath? Is it an inspired document, largely overhyped, medieval propaganda, or something else altogether? Why does it reference Great Scythia as the origin of the Scots, and do you think it contains a revolutionary sentiment for the time when it states that Robert the Bruce will be removed as King of Scots if he makes Scotland subject to the King of England? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below… 
 
Sources:

Declaration of Arbroath – National Records of Scotland https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files/research/declaration-of-arbroath/declaration-of-arbroath-transcription-and-translation.pdf 

Creative Commons Imagery:

Scottish Government - https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottishgovernment/27999467802/in/photolist-JowdeG-JowdBW-JGqLrH-JEdALs-JEdAhS-JEdze9-JEdzKE-24M1T-nCkUZU-4buCx-5Yrito-t1xaFP-9LuLhm-5Yn3yp-pqqDJG-aLB6vp-UPg1tc-UPfZgc-UBJRBX-7s9GTS-5yaXgU-aFMEAM-4s4mMD-6EG8or-EZU5HH-6Kqvhz-ddr2Ae-dFqGpP/ Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottishgovernment/27999469402/in/photolist-JowdeG-JowdBW-JGqLrH-JEdALs-JEdAhS-JEdze9-JEdzKE-24M1T-nCkUZU-4buCx-5Yrito-t1xaFP-9LuLhm-5Yn3yp-pqqDJG-aLB6vp-UPg1tc-UPfZgc-UBJRBX-7s9GTS-5yaXgU-aFMEAM-4s4mMD-6EG8or-EZU5HH-6Kqvhz-ddr2Ae-dFqGpP/ 

Karen Vernon / 1320 and all that..... / CC BY-SA 2.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Declaration_of_Arbroath_statue_(geograph_695366).jpg https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en 

Don-music https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ArbroathAbbeyNave.jpg Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en 

Kim Traynor https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_The_Bruce_Crowned_King_of_Scots.jpg Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en 

#DeclarationofArbroath #Scotland #RoberttheBruce