Declaration of Arbroath

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About the Book: 

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 words of the Declaration of Arbroath echo down the centuries as a supreme statement of defiance against tyranny. But should we read it as a seminal declaration of Scottish national identity or a practical response to a diplomatic problem? The model for the United States Declaration of Independence or as a clever piece of medieval rhetoric? Indicative of the strength of support for the ‘hero king’ Robert the Bruce or evidence of the weakness of his usurping regime? 

Seven hundred years on from this declaration – a letter, sent in the name of the barons of Scotland to Pope John XXII – Tom Turpie explains why it was produced and why it contains the extraordinary sentiments it does. He sets it in the context of a world plagued by war and climate change, and explores how the relevance of this letter has ebbed and flowed over seven centuries. In doing so, this book aims to help readers to understand the single most significant document to be produced in medieval Scotland.

In the Press:

Climate link to Arbroath declaration The Times

Declaration of Arbroath ‘was result of global warming’ The Scotsman

The Declaration of Arbroath, 1320-2020 Bella Caledonia

About the Author:

TOM TURPIE moved to Scotland in 2001 to undertake his undergraduate degree in Stirling. There he developed my passion for medieval, and specifically Scottish, history and after graduating in 2005 decided to take this interest further. Moving to Edinburgh he completed a MSc in Medieval History and then a PhD in 2011. He then returned to the University of Stirling, first working as a researcher on the AHRC funded Corpus of Scottish Medieval Parish Churches (2012-2013), and subsequently as a Teaching Assistant, Researcher and Lecturer. As a freelance historian, he has also collaborated on a number of projects outside of academia, including the Family Names UK Project (2013-2014), the Fife Pilgrim Way (2016) and Kilrenny, Anstruther and Cellardyke Burgh Survey (2016-2017).