I think perhaps we do ourselves a disservice  by overlooking the Scots.  I purchased "America's Founding Secret- What the Scottish Enlightenment Taught our Founding Fathers" by Robert W, Galvin. That the Scottish influences the US may not be a surprise to anyone.   We know the Scottish David Hume as a philosopher who was in favor of the Americans developing democracy, but not the French Revolution and their efforts to have a democracy.  We know Irish and Scottish immigrants came to the US, but how aware are we of the Scots men who made Alexander the Great, great?  Here we are decades later, the Russians and Americans face each other off like two feuding clans. 

The relationship between the Scots and France has amazed me for a number of years, thus;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auld_Alliance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garde_%C3%89cossaise

It has certainly placed a great deal of history our way!

Yes, the more one reads about this relationship, the more one wonders just how much influence these Scots had with both the Royals and with their decisions!

Edited by Carol - 20-Jul-2010 at 07:36

My dear loving blood sucking insect! What a wonderful post, and what wonderful information! I may not swat you at all?

And, there still exists a lot more information similar to what you have given us! Maybe some of the other scholars on this site, might be able to find, and contribute, more?

The potential Jewish connection is also fascinating!

I also loved the posts by Cyrus and Carol!

Regards,

Edited by opuslola - 20-Jul-2010 at 10:58

Yes Carol, mosquitos were transferred to our planet by a close collision of an asteroid many years ago! Before then, men and women could actually go outside in the summer, and not be bothered by these "pesky blood sucking" aliens!

But, back to some reality, I would just like you all to read this from Wiki;

"La Grande Armée Écossaise

In 1418 Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany appointed his son, John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan, Chamberlain of Scotland to command the Scottish expeditionary force, the largest army that medieval Scotland had ever sent abroad. 7000-8000 men arrived at La Rochelle in October 1419 and made their way to Tours to greet the Dauphin. The first thing the future Charles VII did was to shower munificence upon the Scottish nobles. Buchan received Châtillon-sur-Indre, the Earl of Wigtoun received Dun-le-Roi, Sir John Stewart of Darnley received Concressault, and Thomas Seton the castle of Langeais. The Scottish leaders were persuaded to return to Scotland to recruit more troops. The Scottish leadership returned in 1420 with another 4000-5000 reinforcements. While their leaders were at home the Dauphin assigned the Scottish contingent throughout his armies and garrisons and picked a number roughly one hundred of the best warriors to be his personal body guard.

The Scotsmen fought with distinction throughout France with a notable win at the Battle of Baugé in 1421, where the Duke of Clarence was said to have been felled by Buchan's Mace. However, the Scots faced a calamity at the Battle of Verneuil in 1424, when they lost 6000 men. Although saddened by the loss of so many of his loyal Scotsmen, Charles VII continued to honour the survivors. The Scots had a further setback at the Battle of the Herrings in 1429. The Scottish Army in France fragmented into free companies (a headache for the French state), and also into Compagnies d'ordonnance within the French Army.

Life Guards

However the King kept about him his Garde Écossaise. The Scottish Guards had likely protected him during the murder of John the Fearless at the bridge of Montereau, and rescued him from a fire in Gascony in 1442. There were Scottish Guards who fell at the Battle of Montlhéry defending their King, Louis XI of France, in 1465. It was an officer of the Life guards Patrick de Spens who wounded the Charles the Rash Duke of Burgundy who died soon after in January 1477. The king Charles VIII takes the motto of this officer in his honour: "Si Deus (pro nobis), Quis contra (nos)?""

Anyone able to translate the French / Latin? above?

But, of more importance one must actually look into the activities of the "Free Companies!"

In many ways, the Scot Guard reminds me of those guards of David and Soloman!

Actually Poznan, was a very important city!

Wiki says in part this;

"The Russian version of the name, Познань (Poznan'), is of feminine gender, in contrast to the Polish name, which is masculine."

Which I think is somewhat important!

But, is there any literary information about the Jewish concentration in this city?

Originally posted by opuslola Actually Poznan, was a very important city! Wiki says in part this; "The Russian version of the name, Познань (Poznan'), is of feminine gender, in contrast to the Polish name, which is masculine." Which I think is somewhat important! But, is there any literary information about the Jewish concentration in this city?

Edited by Mosquito - 20-Jul-2010 at 14:14

Originally posted by opuslola Dear Mosquito, the reason I asked about Jews was this from one of your earlier posts! "Scots were called in Poland "Szots" and worked as merchants and soldiers in the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania. In year 1603 King of Poland and Lithuania Sigismundus III Vasa has nominated the Scot Abraham Jung, commander of Scotish infantry in Polish army - a governor of all Scotts in Poland, giving him the judical and administrative powers." Abraham Jung, just has to be a Jew! Even if one spells his name "Young?"

Im not so sure about it. I think biblical names could have been popular that time and Jung - might be German as well. But professor Stefan Zabieglik author of the article about Scotts in Poland has written that he was scottish. Thats all I know about and cant confirm or deny your theory.

I FOUND SOMTHING INTERESTING and in English - written by a Scot:

 

http://www.sikorskipolishclub.org.uk/Scots_in_Northern_Poland.pdf

 

On the trail of Scots in Northern Poland

About six years ago I moved from Glasgow to Poland. I am married to a Polish woman from Olsztyn, in the north. In the last few years I have become increasingly interested in the history of 16th/17th Scots in the area and have found myself searching out some of the places where they lived.

I haven’t found out much about it, but it is near a Teutonic castle town, Nidzice, and dates from around the same time (14thC). Nidzice certainly has Scottish connections, as James VI once petitioned the local authorities on behalf of a Scottish resident of the town.

James seems to have had a lot of communication with the Polish kings. On one occasion he demanded the execution of a gentleman who had written some scathing comments about the Scottish and Scotland (in revenge for being laughed at in Scotland because of his German/Polish clothes). The texts were destroyed and the gentleman was beheaded in Kętrzyn. James also persuaded both the German and Polish authorities to allow Scots to stay in Germany, Prussia and Poland. Many Scots were traveling peddlers and had a bad name for flouting trade laws and undercutting local merchants, particularly by avoiding payment of import/export taxes between Prussia and Poland. James made the Scottish communities form into ‘Brotherhoods’ and many major cities (Torun, Gdansk, Krakow, Warsaw and Lublin) had one.

Indeed, one Scottish resident of Warsaw, Alexander Chalmers, became Mayor of Warsaw. A plaque was recently mounted on his former house in Warsaw Old Town.

It was whilst reading about this that I made one of my major finds. In Fischer’s book there is a story of a Scottish merchant who, whilst traveling between two towns (Orneta and Dobre Miasto) met a young Scots ploughboy working in the fields. He took the boy to the Jesuit college in nearby Braniewo (co-founded by a Scottish Jesuit) and got him educated. The young boy went on to become a successful merchant and returned to the little village and built a chapel to St Rochus in 1617.

While reading the story I had to translate the German names of the villages (as in the text) into Polish. I was amazed when I realized where the village was (Lubomino) and that weekend I hurried there to see it. I later managed to gain access to the chapel and see the interior (sadly it was damaged during the wars but is still intact).

I keep finding new places and new information (new to me, anyway) and I enjoy visiting these places. Often there is no sign that the Scots were ever there, but as an immigrant of Scottish descent (my father was Scottish) it somehow makes me feel part of my new home, knowing others have been there before. This was brought home to me when I was speaking to a Polish colleague and I mentioned about the huge economic migration of Scots in 16th/17thC (and the smaller one in 19thC). “And they’re still coming… you’re here now!”

I haven’t been able to find out anymore about the Hill families in the local villages (although I did locate a descendant in Germany), although, funnily enough, an old map of the village where I now live, shows the house across the road was once owned by a “Joseph Hill”. I have also found a reference to a Scottish Mr Hill in Gdansk who died owing money. I hope nobody comes knocking on my door asking if we’re related. The interest after 300 years would be huge!

TREV HILL (March 2009)

 

Edited by Mosquito - 20-Jul-2010 at 14:59