'''Abjuration''' is the solemn repudiation, abandonment, or renunciation by or upon [[oath]], often the renunciation of [[citizenship]] or some other [[right]] or [[privilege]]. It comes from the [[Latin]] ''abjurare'', "to forswear").

'''Abjuration of the realm''' was a type of abjuration in ancient [[English law]] that was a renunciation of citizenship, a type of self-imposed exile. The person taking the oath swore never to return to the kingdom unless by permission. This was often taken by fugitives who had taken [[sanctuary]]:
:''I swear on the Holy Book that I will leave the realm of England and never return without the express permission of my Lord the King or his heirs. I will hasten by the direct road to the port allotted to me and not leave the King's highway under pain of arrest or execution. I will not stay at one place more than one night and will seek diligently for a passage across the sea as soon as I arrive, delaying only one tide if possible. If I cannot secure such passage, I will walk into the sea up to my knees every day as a token of my desire to cross. And if I fail in all this, then peril shall be my lot.''

In [[England]], an oath of abjuration was taken by [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|members of Parliament]], clergy, and laymen, pledging to support the current [[British monarchy|British monarch]] and repudiated the right of the [[House of Stuart|Stuarts]] and other [[pretender]]s to the throne. This oath was imposed under [[William III of England|William III]], [[George I of Great Britain|George I]] and [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]]. It was superseded by the [[oath of allegiance]].

Another famous oath of abjuration was [[Oath of Abjuration|Plakkaat van Verlatinghe]] of [[July 26]], [[1581]], the formal [[declaration of independence]] of the northern [[Low Countries]] from the [[Spanish monarchy|Spanish king]], [[Philip II of Spain|Philip II]]. This oath was the climax of the [[Eighty Years' War]] (Dutch Revolt).

==Sources==
*Black, Henry Campbell, and Bryan A. Garner (editors). ''Black's Law Dictionary'' (7th edition). West: 1999. ISBN 0-314-22864-0.
*Knight, Bernard. "Crowner Part 4: The Right of Sanctuary."^{[http://www.britannia.com/history/articles/coroner4.html]}
*Meehan, Andrew B. "Abjuration." ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. 1907. ^{[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01044d.htm]}

[[Category:Legal terms]]
[[Category:Oaths]]