Declaration of Arbroath
E76519
The Declaration of Arbroath is a 1320 Scottish letter to the Pope asserting Scotland’s independence and the right of its people to choose their own king, and is often seen as a foundational document of Scottish nationhood.
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
declaration
ⓘ
historical document ⓘ letter ⓘ medieval charter ⓘ |
| addressedTo | Pope John XXII ⓘ |
| archivedAt | National Records of Scotland ⓘ |
| asserts |
English attempts to dominate Scotland are unjust
ⓘ
Scotland ⓘ
surface form:
Scotland has been independent since ancient times
Kingdom of Scotland ⓘ
surface form:
Scotland is an independent kingdom
the king’s authority depends on defending the nation’s freedom ⓘ the people may replace a king who betrays their freedom ⓘ |
| associatedWithConflict | First War of Scottish Independence ⓘ |
| comparedTo |
American Declaration of Independence
ⓘ
surface form:
United States Declaration of Independence
|
| country | Kingdom of Scotland ⓘ |
| date | 1320-04-06 ⓘ |
| documentType | letter to the Pope ⓘ |
| genre | political manifesto ⓘ |
| hasLegacy |
commemorated annually on Tartan Day in some countries
ⓘ
invoked in modern debates on Scottish self-determination ⓘ |
| hasMottoOrFamousLine | “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.” ⓘ |
| influenced |
concepts of popular sovereignty in Scotland
ⓘ
later Scottish constitutional thought ⓘ modern Scottish nationalism ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
earlier Scottish diplomatic letters
ⓘ
medieval canon law ⓘ |
| language | Latin ⓘ |
| legalStatusAtTime | diplomatic appeal to the papacy ⓘ |
| mainSubject |
Scottish independence
ⓘ
right to choose and depose kings ⓘ sovereignty of the Scottish people ⓘ |
| mentionsPerson |
Alexander III of Scotland
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Robert the Bruce ⓘ William Wallace ⓘ |
| numberOfSeals | approximately 39 ⓘ |
| placeOfIssue | Arbroath Abbey ⓘ |
| politicalIdeology | popular sovereignty ⓘ |
| purpose |
assert Scotland’s independence from England
ⓘ
defend the legitimacy of Robert the Bruce as king of Scots ⓘ seek papal recognition of Scottish independence ⓘ |
| recognizedAs |
foundational document of Scottish identity
ⓘ
symbol of Scottish nationhood ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton
ⓘ
First War of Scottish Independence ⓘ
surface form:
Wars of Scottish Independence
|
| requests |
lifting of papal sanctions against Scotland
ⓘ
papal intervention to restrain England ⓘ |
| signedBy |
Scottish barons
ⓘ
Scottish clergy ⓘ Scottish nobles ⓘ |
| year | 1320 ⓘ |
Referenced by (5)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.