Declaration of Arbroath ‘was result of global warming’
Climate change was behind the creation of the Declaration of Arbroath, according to a book to be published on its 700th anniversary.
The document asserted Scotland’s status as an independent kingdom. And now a history professor has said the diplomatic solution was only necessary after environmental conditions prevented Robert the Bruce from winning independence on the battlefield.
The Declaration of Arbroath was produced because of climate change, according to a book to be published on its 700th anniversary next week.
The document, originally known as the Barons’ Letter, was drafted at Arbroath Abbey and sent to Pope John XXII on 6 April, 1320.
It asserted Scotland’s status as an independent kingdom and asked the Pope to recognise Robert the Bruce as the lawful King of Scotland.
Dr Tom Turpie, a history lecturer at the University of Stirling, said the diplomatic solution became necessary after environmental conditions prevented Bruce from winning independence on the battlefield.
While he won the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, it did not bring English recognition of his right to the Scottish crown or an end to the war.
Dr Turpie’s new book, The Declaration of Arbroath: What it Meant Then and What it Means Now, to be published by Luath Press next Monday, highlights a “Little Ice Age” that began in Scotland in the 13th century.
Colder, wetter and more unpredictable weather, combined with famine and pestilence in the years following Bannockburn, prevented both sidesfromdecidingscotland’s fate in another battle.
Bruce tried other military tactics to bring King Edward II to the negotiating table, including a failed invasion of Ireland in which the weather was also a factor.
The Scots monarch also tried to break the military stalemate by attacking Berwick, which led to his excommunication by the Pope, and the Declaration of Arbroath was produced as a diplomatic solution.
Dr Turpie said: “These new conditions caused considerable problems for medieval agriculture and disrupted trade and transport routes.
“Significant problems with the climate in the years after 1314 meant that the Scots were unable to force a military victory, and the English king, Edward II, was unable to invade Scotland to avenge his defeat at Bannockburn.
“The difficulties that the Little Ice Age caused for military activity meant that the war of diplomacy, of which the declaration was an essential part, was even more vital than before.”
The years immediately after the Battle of Bannockburn coincided with a period of severe weather which caused multiple failed harvests, leading to a famine that killed 10-15 per cent of the population in some parts of northern Europe.
In the same period, serious diseases hit sheep and cattle populations.