THE DECLARATION OF ARBROATH 6 APRIL 1320

The declaration of Arbroath is a plea for the freedom of man. Its author is unknown but it is believed that it was written by Bernard de Linton, abbot of Arbroath.

Bearing the seals of eight earls and forty-five barons, this document was presented to the Pope who was asked to intervene in the bloody confrontation between the Scots and the English. The first part of the Declaration of Arbroath contains a brief explanation of that confrontation. In a combination of challenge and plea, two points make the Declaration of Arbroath the most important document in the history of Scotland.

1)     It declares the will and wish of the Scottish People over those of the King

2)     It declares the Independence of Scotland in a way that no battle could possibly do and justifies it with a truth that goes beyond nation and race.

"For as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is 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".

Man has the right to freedom and the obligation to defend it with his life.

By Monica Loreto who visited Arbroath in July 2001.