Auld Alliance

The Auld Alliance ( scots for "Old Alliance") was an alliance between Scotland and France .

It probably goes back to 1165 on Wilhelm I the Lion ; the first written testimony, however, is the treaty that was signed on October 23, 1295 in Paris during the reign of John Balliol and the French King Philip IV .

In it the defensive alliance between the two countries against England was fixed. So should one of the countries be attacked by England, the other would have to enter the war against England.

The Auld Alliance was conceived as a military alliance, but it also had a major impact on many other areas of life in the two nations. For example, the residents enjoyed the citizenship of the respective partner and, especially in Scotland, the language, architecture and even the cuisine were influenced by France.

Since the renewal of the contract by Robert Bruce in 1326, the contract has acted six times, including:

• In 1421 the Scots and French won the Battle of Baugé over the English in the Hundred Years' War .
• In 1424 the Scots were defeated at the Battle of Verneuil , but this gave the French vital respite in their battle against England.
• In 1429 the Scots Joan of Arc came to the aid of the siege of Orléans , many Scots stayed and formed the Scottish Guard , the life guard of the French king.
• In 1513 the Scottish King James IV invaded England to relieve the French in their fight against the Holy League , but was killed in the Battle of Flodden Field .

In 1560, the Auld Alliance was officially ended by the Treaty of Edinburgh , as Scotland was reformed by John Knox and now wanted to lean on England, which was also Protestant.

aftermath

Even today, some of the Scottish automobiles have an Ecosse sticker on the trunk lid. This French name of Scotland is a reminder of this old alliance.

See also

• History of Scotland

literature

• Bonner, Elizabeth: Scotland's “auld alliance” with france, 1295-1560. In: History 273 (1999), 5--31.
• Fenwick, Hubert: The Auld Alliance. Kineton 1971.
• MacDougall, Norman: An antidote to the English. the auld alliance, 1295-1560. East Linton 2001.
• Wood, Stephen: The auld alliance. Scotland and France, the military connection. Edinburgh 1989.