[MR] Wikipedia: The Auld Alliance

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

This date in 1295 marks the beginning of a series of defensive treaties
between Scotland and France, collectively known as "The Auld Alliance" in
Scotland, or the "Vieille Alliance" in France. The alliance was mainly a
mutual defense pact against England. Generally the alliance called for
Scotland to invade England as a diversion if France was attacked, which
usually meant a lot of Scots died needlessly for France. France on the
other hand, usually sat on their hands when Scotland was threatened. The
treaties did, however, offer proto-national status to Scotland, and had a
lot of influence on other European powers recognizing Scotland as an
independent country.

The 1295 treaty was agreed between the John Balloil, King of Scots, and
Phillipe IV of France, to counter the English King Edward I's plans for
control of Scotland. Balloil had been placed on the throne at the request
of the Scots by Edward to settle the Scottish succession question and
prevent civil war. Edward took serious exception to the treaty, as he
considered Balloil as his creature. Balloil was publicly stripped of his
regalia, sacked as King, and placed under house arrest. Edward then invaded
Scotland, sparking the First Scottish War of Independence, which France
largely ignored.

During the Hundred Years War between England and France, Scotland
contributed an official army to France after the disastrous Battle of
Agincourt, buying precious time for France to rebuild its forces. The
Scottish army was largely wiped out at the Battle of Verneuil (1424) and
the remainder exterminated at the Battle of the Herrings (1429), but
independent companies of Scots continued fighting for France. In 1418 the
Dauphin, later Charles VII, formed a personal bodyguard, originally all
Scots gentlemen, called the Garde Ecosaise. The van of Joan of Arc's forces
at the Siege of Orleans in 1429 included a strong force of Scottish archers
and men-at-arms. Some 15,000 Scots fought for France in this phase of the
wars.

The alliance continued until Scotland became Protestant in 1560, and the
Treaty of Edinburgh brought a somewhat uneasy peace between the two
countries (there was a lot of border skirmishing through the late 1500s,
but it was mainly about mass theft and other lawlessness on both sides).
King James VI, eyeing the English throne for himself, began forging serious
ties with Protestant England under Elizabeth I, and we all know how this
played out.

More about the Auld Alliance is found at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auld_Alliance .

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆