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.