Scottish Soldiers in France in the Reign of the Sun King: Nursery for Men of Honour

This volume examines the role and significance of Scottish soldiers in France in the age of the Sun King, Louis XIV. The study examines the complex relationship of expatriate Scottish soldiers to their homeland and native sovereign, within the context of a changing environment for military employment. The amity of the so-called ‘auld’ alliance meant little in an age of rapid development in the relationship between armies and the states they served. Caught in the middle were a number of Scots, attempting to perpetuate traditional modes of employment abroad. They found themselves the target of increasing pressures to commit wholeheartedly to one employer or another.

The book surveys the history of Scottish soldiers’ service on the continent generally, and in France in particular by examining the specific conditions of military service there in the Sun King’s reign with a special focus on the soldiers of the regiment of George Douglas, Earl of Dumbarton.