“We will never subject ourselves to the dominion of the English”
“For so long as 100 of us remain alive, we will never give consent to subject ourselves to the dominion of›the English. For it is not›glory, it is not riches, neither›is it honours that we›fight and contend for, but›freedom alone, which no›honest man will lose except with his life.”
These words were written 700 years ago in April 1320, but they speak a language of liberty that resonates today. They represent the climax of a letter best-known as the Declaration of Arbroath. It was written on behalf of the barons and community of Scotland to Pope John XXII during the long conflict to›secure the sovereignty and rights of their kingdom, known as the Scottish Wars of Independence. Six years after his triumph at Bannockburn, the letter supported the efforts of the Scottish king, Robert Bruce, to›secure recognition in his ongoing fight with the English crown, now represented by Edward II.
In just over a thousand words the declaration articulated Scotland’s cause, its ancient pedigree as a European nation and a Christian land, and its endurance through “innumerable oppressions” and “barbarities” inflicted by English king Edward I (father
