Two times, in 1319 and in 1322, when Douglas raided into Yorkshire he tried to capture King Edward II and his wife Queen Isabella of France. While he did not succeed this only added to his reputation by the English as "the Black Douglas." On 25 December 1319 the Scots and English signed a two year truce. In 1320, James Douglas put his seal on the Declaration of Arbroath. This declaration of Scottish independence was in the form of a letter to Pope John XXII.