The Declaration of Arbroath: What it meant then and what it means now

By Tom Turpie

The words of the Declaration of Arbroath echo down the centuries as a supreme statement of defiance against tyranny. But should we read it as a seminal declaration of Scottish national identity or a practical response to a diplomatic problem? The model for the United States Declaration of Independence or as a clever piece of medieval rhetoric? Indicative of the strength of support for the 'hero king' Robert the Bruce or evidence of the weakness of his usurping regime?
Seven hundred years on from this declaration – a letter, sent in the name of the barons of Scotland to Pope John XXII – Tom Turpie explains why it was produced and why it contains the extraordinary sentiments it does. He sets it in the context of a world plagued by war and climate change, and explores how the relevance of this letter has ebbed and flowed over seven centuries. In doing so, this book aims to help readers to understand the single most significant document to be produced in medieval Scotland.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Luath Press
• Release date: Apr 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781912387724

Tom Turpie

Tom Turpie moved to Scotland in 2001 to undertake his undergraduate degree in Stirling. There he developed a passion for medieval, and specifically Scottish, history and after graduating in 2005 decided to take this interest further. Moving to Edinburgh he completed a MSc in Medieval History and then a PhD in 2011. He then returned to the University of Stirling, first working as a researcher on the AHRC funded Corpus of Scottish Medieval Parish Churches (2012-2013), and subsequently as a Teaching Assistant, Researcher and Lecturer. As a freelance historian, he has also collaborated on a number of projects outside of academia, including the Family Names UK Project (2013-2014), the Fife Pilgrim Way (2016) and Kilrenny, Anstruther and Cellardyke Burgh Survey (2016-2017).

Book preview

DR TOM TURPIE is a lecturer in History at the University of Stirling. Originally from New Eltham in South London, Tom completed his doctorate at the University of Edinburgh in 2011 on the subject of the cult of the saints in Medieval Scotland. He is the author of several articles on that subject and a 2015 book entitled Kind Neighbours: Scottish Saints and Society in the Later Middle Ages (Brill Publishers, Leiden). Since completing his doctorate, Tom has taught medieval history at Edinburgh and Stirling, and has collaborated on a number of academic and community history projects, including the Family Names UK Project (2013–4), the Fife Pilgrim Way (2016), Kilrenny, Anstruther and Cellardyke Burgh Survey (2016–7) and Inverkeithing Community Burgh Survey (2019–).

First published 2020

eISBN: 978-1-912387-72-4

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The author’s right to be identified as author of this work under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 has been asserted.

© Tom Turpie 2020

Contents

Preface

Note on termonology

Timeline

Introduction

SECTION I Scotland, England and the Papacy in the Middle Ages

Medieval Scotland

Things Fall Apart: War and Climate Change, c.1250–1320

The Wars of Independence

The Emergence of Robert the Bruce

After Bannockburn: Famine and Stalemate

Scotland and the Medieval Popes

SECTION II The Production and Content of the Three Letters

Responding to the Pope

The Content of the Barons’ Letter

SECTION III The Impact and Significance of the Barons’ Letter since 1320

The Reception of the Letters and the End of the War

The Long-term Significance of the Barons’ Letter in Scotland

The Barons’ Letter and the Declaration of Independence

Recent Historical Controversies and Debates

CONCLUSION The Declaration of Arbroath: What it meant then and what it means now

The Other Letters from 1320

Robert I’s Cover Letter

The Letter from the Clergy

The Declaration of Arbroath in Latin

The Declaration of Arbroath in English

Preface

Ifirst encountered The Declaration of Arbroath as a boy, reading Nigel Tranter’s epic Bruce Trilogy on holiday. In Tranter’s masterly but sympathetic take on the career of Robert I of Scotland, the letter is a statement of a nation, signed by hundreds and reflecting the widespread support for the hero king. When I next encountered it, as an undergraduate student, I was intrigued to find that scholarly research has shown that it is a far more complex and interesting document than the one found in Tranter’s account. Historians have focused on the way it was put together, the immediate diplomatic and political context in which it was produced, and traced its reception down the centuries. As a researcher, my main focus has been on the section that explores the origins and history of the kingdom of the Scots, and the development of their relationship with St Andrew. It was finally as a university teacher, exploring the significance of this document with students native to Scotland and from across the globe, that the longer-term influence that this letter has had on Scotland and beyond became clear. What has also become clear from this experience is that understanding of the purpose and content of the letter produced in 1320 beyond university academics is limited. This book will attempt to address this, answering readers’ questions of why and how the Declaration was produced, why it includes the sentiments it does, allowing you to appreciate and enjoy this vital and relevant piece of Scotland’s past as I do.

Note on terminology

The Declaration was originally one of three letters delivered to the Pope by Scottish envoys in the summer of 1320 and only became known as the Declaration of Arbroath fairly recently. It is referred to in this book as ‘the Barons’ Letter’ or ‘the letter’. All translations from the original Latin of the text into English used in the book, as well as the Latin text