On 6 April 1320, in the abbey at Arbroath on Scotland's east coast, the earls and barons of Scotland sealed a letter to Pope John XXII that would outlive every man who put his name to it. Written when Scotland's very survival as an independent nation hung in the balance, the Declaration of Arbroath made the case for freedom in words so powerful they are still quoted around the world today.
It was more than diplomacy. Folded inside its careful Latin was a startling idea: that a king rules only so long as he serves his people. Here is what the Declaration said, who sealed it, and why it still matters seven centuries on.
Key facts: the Declaration of Arbroath
- Date: 6 April 1320
- Place: Arbroath Abbey, Angus
- What it was: A letter in Latin addressed to Pope John XXII
- Purpose: To win papal recognition of Scottish independence and of Robert the Bruce as rightful king
- Sealed by: Eight earls and around forty barons, in the name of the ‘community of the realm of Scotland’
- Probable author: Bernard de Linton, Abbot of Arbroath and Chancellor of Scotland
- Living legacy: Tartan Day is celebrated on 6 April in its honour
Find your family in the story. Many of the names that shaped Scotland's fight for freedom are still carried today. Type your clan or family name into the search bar at the top of this page to discover your crest, tartan and heritage gifts.
What was the Declaration of Arbroath?
The Declaration of Arbroath was a letter sent by Scotland's nobility to the Pope in 1320, asking him to recognise Scotland as a free and independent kingdom and to accept Robert the Bruce as its lawful king. In the medieval world the Pope was the supreme arbiter of Christendom, and his blessing carried immense political weight. Scotland badly needed it.
Although the Scots had won a stunning victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, England still refused to acknowledge their independence, and the papacy had taken England's side. Worse still, Robert the Bruce had been excommunicated. The Declaration was Scotland's bid to break that deadlock with the most persuasive words its scholars could muster.
The long road to Arbroath
Scotland had been at war since 1296. The struggle had given the country its first great patriot in William Wallace, whose brutal execution in 1305 turned him into a martyr. It had given Scotland a king in Robert the Bruce, crowned in 1306, and a decisive triumph at Bannockburn. Yet none of it had secured peace. England fought on, and Rome would not recognise Bruce's crown.
By 1320 the Scots changed tactics. Rather than win on the battlefield alone, they would win the argument. The clergy and nobility composed a letter of extraordinary eloquence, sealed it at Arbroath Abbey, and sent it south to Avignon, where the papal court then sat.
The words that still echo
At the heart of the Declaration is a passage that has been carved into monuments and quoted in parliaments ever since:
‘…for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. 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.’
The Latin original, ‘non enim propter gloriam, divicias aut honores pugnamus set propter libertatem solummodo’, has lost none of its force in translation. It frames Scotland's war not as a quarrel between kings but as a fight for liberty itself.
A revolutionary idea: a king who answers to his people
The most radical clause is easy to miss. The barons declared that they followed Robert the Bruce because he had won back the kingdom – but that if he ever submitted to England, they would drive him out and choose another king in his place. Sovereignty, in other words, rested with the ‘community of the realm’, not with the monarch alone.
For 1320 this was astonishing. Centuries before written constitutions, the Declaration set out the principle of kingship by consent – that a ruler holds power conditionally, answerable to the people he governs. It is this idea, as much as its defiant tone, that has made the Declaration a touchstone for later movements seeking liberty and self-government.
Who sealed the Declaration of Arbroath?
The Declaration carried the seals of eight earls and around forty barons – the great families whose descendants still bear their names today. Among them were some of the most storied houses in Scottish history:
- Walter Stewart, High Steward of Scotland and son-in-law of the king, ancestor of the royal House of Stewart.
- Sir James Douglas, ‘the Black Douglas’, Bruce's most feared lieutenant, of Clan Douglas.
- Gilbert de la Hay, Constable of Scotland, ancestor of Clan Hay.
- Robert Keith, Marischal of Scotland, who had led the cavalry charge at Bannockburn, of Clan Keith.
- The Earls of Ross, of Sutherland, and other northern houses whose names endure across the Highlands.
These were not abstract signatories. They were heads of kindreds, and their families – Stewart, Douglas, Hay, Keith, Fraser, Ross and more – carried the memory of Arbroath down the centuries. If one of those names is yours, this is part of your own family's story.
Was your family at Arbroath? Search your clan or family name in the bar at the top of the page to explore your heritage – and find a gift that carries it on.
What happened after 1320?
The Declaration did not bring instant victory, but it worked. Pope John XXII, moved by Scotland's case, urged England to make peace and in time lifted the sentence of excommunication against Robert the Bruce. Within a decade the long war was over: by the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton in 1328, England finally recognised Scotland as an independent kingdom and Bruce as its rightful king. The argument made at Arbroath had helped win the peace that the battlefield alone could not.
From Arbroath to America: the Declaration's legacy
The Declaration's afterlife has been remarkable. Its assertion that legitimate rule depends on the consent of the governed has led some historians to draw a line between Arbroath and the American Declaration of Independence of 1776 – a connection that is debated but enduring. In 1998 the United States Senate recognised the link by designating 6 April, the date of the Declaration, as National Tartan Day, now celebrated across North America as a festival of Scottish heritage.
For the millions of people of Scottish descent around the world, the Declaration of Arbroath is more than a medieval letter. It is a reminder that the desire for freedom – and the names of the families who fought for it – crossed oceans and centuries to reach the present day.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Declaration of Arbroath written?
It was dated 6 April 1320 and drawn up at Arbroath Abbey in Angus, on Scotland's east coast.
Who wrote the Declaration of Arbroath?
It is generally attributed to Bernard de Linton, Abbot of Arbroath and Chancellor of Scotland, though it expressed the collective will of the Scottish earls, barons and clergy who sealed it.
Why is the Declaration of Arbroath important?
It made one of history's most eloquent cases for national freedom and set out the principle that a king rules only with the consent of his people – an idea centuries ahead of its time. It also helped secure papal support that led to recognition of Scottish independence in 1328.
Did the Declaration of Arbroath influence the American Declaration of Independence?
Historians disagree. There is no proven direct link, but both documents share the conviction that legitimate government rests on the consent of the governed. The United States honours the connection through National Tartan Day on 6 April.
Carry your heritage with pride. From the families who sealed the Declaration to the clans who fought beside them, your name has a story. Type your clan or family name into the search bar at the top of this page to find your crest, tartan and the perfect heritage gift.
