Declaration of Arbroath
The Declaration of Arbroath , German declaration of Arbroath , is considered the " Scottish Declaration of Independence ". The certificate that the independence of England proclaimed, was 6 April 1320 in the Monastery Arbroath signed and addressed to Pope John XXII.
The original of the document was written in Latin and was probably made by Bernard de Linton , Abbot of Arbroath Monastery and Lord Chancellor of Scotland ("Lord Chancellor of Scotland").
The Arbroath Declaration is the oldest known declaration of independence by a nation .
Historical background
After the early death of his two sons, the Scottish King Alexander III. In 1284, in the event of no further male descendants, declaring his Norwegian- born granddaughter Margarete as heir to the throne. After Alexander died in 1286, the Guardians of Scotland proclaimed Margaret to be the official heir to the throne. When she traveled from Norway to Scotland four years later, however, she died during the crossing. The extinction of the Dunkeld royal family led to an interregnum , as a result of which numerous contenders laid claim to the Scottish throne. The English King Edward I , who was asked to mediate, and whose son (later King Edward II ) was to be married to Margaret, now saw the opportunity to strengthen his own influence in the country.
However, John Balliol , who was chosen by him to be the Scottish king and crowned in 1292, refused to follow Eduard; In 1296, after the invasion of an English army and the crushing defeat in the Battle of Dunbar, he was forced to abdicate and imprisoned. Scotland came under English administration. This led to the First Scottish War of Independence , in the course of which the leader of the insurgents, Robert the Bruce , was crowned king in 1306. After the changeable course of the war, he succeeded in defeating the English army decisively in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 and thus ending the English occupation of the country.
Content of the declaration
The document, with the signatures and seals of 51 Scottish earls , magnates and nobles , was sent as a letter to Pope John XXII, who had lived in Avignon , France, since 1316 . sent. The declaration was intended to dispel the Pope's reservations about the end of English rule over Scotland and at the same time asked for mediation in the conflict with England.
However, the declaration also stipulated that Scotland's independence was always more important than the person of the Scottish king; The signatories declared that they would only support him as long as he was ready to protect the rights and interests of the nation:
“But Robert himself, should he turn away from the task that he has begun and agree that we or our kingdom would be subjected to the English king or his people, we would cast him out as the enemy of all of us, as one who undermined our and his rights and would choose another king to defend our freedom; [...] "
The following passage became famous:
"[...] Quia quamdiu Centum ex nobis vivi remanserint, nuncquam Anglorum dominio aliquatenus volumus subiugari. Non enim propter gloriam, divicias aut honores pugnamus set propter libertatem solummodo quam Nemo bonus nisi simul cum vita amittit. "
"[...] 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 honors that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself. "
"[...] for as long as even one hundred of us remain alive, we will never be forced under English rule, under whatever conditions. Because we do not fight for fame, not for riches or honor, we only fight for freedom, which no honorable man gives up, if not at the same time with his life. "
consequences
The declaration did not fail to have its effect: thanks to the mediation of Pope John XXII. it came on March 1, 1328 with the agreement of Edinburgh and Northampton to a peace treaty between Scotland and England, in which the English King Edward III. renounced all claims against Scotland.
Whereabouts of the document
The original of the document sent to Avignon has been lost; a copy is now in the Scottish National Archives in Edinburgh .
See also
Web links
- The Arbroath Declaration as a Latin and German text
- The declaration of Arbroath on the website www.schottlandportal.de (English)