[MR] Wikipedia: Tartan Day and the Declaration of Arbroath

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends, Especially Fellow Scots,

Today is Tartan Day, a day for all Scots and Scottish descendants to take
our kilts out of moth-proof bags and proudly show off our heritage. That
is, if we are leaving our homes, which due to foul weather again this year
in Charlottesville makes going out less than likely.

Tartan Day celebrates the official sealing of the Declaration of Arbroath
in 1320. This document was a letter to Pope John XXII begging for
recognition of Scottish independence from England. Eight earls and 31
barons are mentioned in the text, and twelve additional powerful Scots not
mentioned added their seals (nobody "signed" the document).

The Declaration was only partly successful. The Pope lifted the
interdiction which had been pronounced against all Scotland, as well as
ending King Robert the Bruce's excommunication. However, Pope John still
refused to acknowledge Robert the Bruce's right to rule, and within a year
the Papacy was again favoring the English claim to rule Scotland. The Pope
favored the English to gain their support for a crusade he was planning.
Scotland's contribution of knights and men-at-arms would be insignificant
compared to what the English could provide.

Although disputed by some scholars, the Declaration of Arbroath is thought
to have influenced Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence text.

Here is the Wikipedia article on the Declaration of Arbroath:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Arbroath .

Tartan Day is discussed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartan_Day .

Yours Aye,


Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge
(Still recruiting for Scotland in the SCA! 😉 )