Join the Topeka St. Andrew Society on Sunday, April 6th, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Lucky Dog's Sports Bar and Grill in Topeka. We'll be downing a few pints in celebration of National Tartan Day in America!

    Why April 6th? April 6th marks the anniversary of the drafting of most famous document in Scottish history and one of the world's most eloquent statements of nationhood: the Declaration of Arbroath.

    Edward II and his English army were routed at Bannockburn by Robert the Bruce's ragtag Scottish forces in 1314. By 1319, with the recapture of the castle at Berwick, Scotland had effectively expelled England from their soil. All the while, Bruce constantly asserted his nation's sovreignty and his right to be king of Scotland. Nevertheless, England continued to launch attacks into Scotland.

    A major obstacle to Scotland's independence sat in Rome. Pope John XXII had not accepted the notion, partly because Robert had been excommunicated for killing rival John Comyn the Red in a church in Dumfries in 1306. Comyn had formed an alliance with Edward II and with his father, Edward the Longshanks, before him. Truth be told, Comyn may have had a better claim to the throne than Bruce.

    In 1320, the Scots decided to make their case to the Holy Father in writing. On April 6th, Abbot Bernard de Linton sat down at Arbroath Abbey and penned the Declaration of Arbroath, a formal declaration of independence.

    The document urged the Pope to see things from a Scottish perspective and not to take the English's claims of villainy and treason seriously. Using strong language, it even went so far as to say that unless the Pope accepted Scotland's claim of independence, violence and wars would continue and innocent lives would continue to be lost -- and the blood would be on Pope John XXII's hands.

    The document was signed and bore the seals of 38 Scottish Lords. It was delivered to Rome and the Pope accepted the Scottish case. The Holy Father sent a letter to Edward II, ordering him to cease his attacks on the Scots.

    War between the English and Scots continued, and the Pope's loyalties soon went back to England for purely political reasons (he needed to ally with someone against France, and the English were willing to help -- for a price).

    Nevertheless, the Declaration of Arbroath stands as one of the world's most memorable expressions of liberty, putting the wills and wishes of the people above those of the king and affirmed the nation's independence in a way that no battle ever could.
"...for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. 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..."

    Hope to see you on the 6th!!!