8 April 2009: Arbroath Abbey, Angus

The Declaration of Arbroath was written by the monks of Arbroath Abbey six years after the battle of Bannockburn where Robert the Bruce defeated the English.  King Edward II had refused to make peace with Scotland and the Pope had not yet recognised Robert the Bruce as Robert I, King of Scots.

The Declaration took the form of a letter to Pope John XXII, vowing the determination of Scotland’s nobility to keep Scotland’s independence.  The letter bore the seals of eight earls and thirty-eight barons and is seen as the first example of a contractual monarchy, with the Scottish nobility asserting the right to dethrone King Robert I should he submit to England.

The Declaration is widely regarded as the most significant document in Scottish history.  The only surviving copy is held at the National Archives of Scotland.