Latest / The Story of Scotland: Clans, Crowns, and the Fight for Identity — Fexingo History / The Scots Brigade: Scotland's Forgotten Army in Europe
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Scotland's wars at home — Bannockburn, Culloden, all the clan battles. But for centuries, thousands of Scottish soldiers fought in Europe, serving foreign kings. And one of the most remarkable stories is the Scots Brigade — Scottish regiments in the service of the Dutch Republic. Luna: Wait, Scottish soldiers fighting for the Dutch? I thought we were always fighting the Dutch at sea? Lucas: We were, in the 17th century, but it's complicated. The Scots Brigade started in the 1570s, during the Dutch Revolt against Spain. Scotland and the Netherlands were both Protestant, and there was a long tradition of Scottish merchants and students in Dutch cities. So when the Dutch needed experienced soldiers, they turned to Scotland. The first official regiment was raised in 1572, commanded by Sir William Balfour. Luna: So these were mercenaries? Lucas: In a way, yes, but it was more formal than that. The Dutch States General paid the Scots, but the regiments kept their Scottish identity. They had their own chaplains, their own discipline, and they swore allegiance to the Dutch Republic, not to any one Scottish lord. For many Scots, it was a chance to escape poverty or political trouble at home. After the Union of the Crowns in 1603, and especially after the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a lot of Covenanters and royalists alike found their way into Dutch service. Luna: So both sides of the civil war ended up fighting together in Holland? Lucas: Exactly. There's a famous story about a Scottish officer named Colonel Angus, who had fought for the Covenanters. After the Restoration, he fled to the Netherlands and joined the Scots Brigade. By the 1670s, the brigade was about 3000 strong, made up of three regiments. They were known for their discipline and their distinctive blue uniforms — which is where the phrase 'true blue' might come from, because the Scottish regiments wore blue, not red. Luna: Huh, I always thought that phrase was about loyalty. Lucas: It is, but the connection to the Scots Brigade is plausible. Anyway, the brigade fought in all the major battles of the Dutch Republic: the Siege of Maastricht in 1632, the Battle of the Dunes in 1658, and later against the French in the War of the Grand Alliance. They were considered elite troops. And they had a unique perk: they were allowed to hold their own Presbyterian church services, which was rare in the Calvinist Dutch Church. Luna: So they kept their Scottish identity even after generations? Lucas: For a long time, yes. They recruited heavily from Scotland, and many soldiers' families settled in Dutch towns like Utrecht and Leiden. There were Scottish communities there that lasted for centuries. The brigade also played a key role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. William of Orange, who was Dutch but also had Scottish ancestry through his mother, used the Scots Brigade as part of his invasion force. Many of the officers were Scottish exiles who were eager to overthrow James II. Luna: So Scottish soldiers helped put William on the English throne? Lucas: Absolutely. And after that, the brigade's status got complicated. Because now the British government didn't want its subjects serving a foreign power, especially if that power might conflict with British interests. But the Dutch needed them, and the brigade continued until 1784, when it was finally disbanded. By then, the Scottish regiments had been fighting for over 200 years in Dutch service. Luna: That's incredible. I had no idea about any of this. Lucas: It's a forgotten part of our history. And it connects to something I want to mention. This kind of story — the Scots Brigade, the soldiers who served abroad — it's not the kind of thing you hear in school. And we can dig into it because of a small group of listeners who support the show through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It keeps us ad-free and allows us to explore these side roads. Luna: Yeah, it's really the listeners who make it possible to go beyond the famous battles and kings. Lucas: Right. So back to the brigade. One of the most interesting aspects is the social impact. These soldiers sent money home, and some returned to Scotland with new ideas about military discipline, religion, and even farming. The Dutch influence on Scottish agriculture is a whole other story. But militarily, the Scots Brigade trained generations of officers who later fought in the British army. Luna: So in a way, it was a training ground for the British military? Lucas: Exactly. Many of the tactics used by British redcoats in the 18th century — like the platoon firing system — were perfected by the Scots Brigade. And Scottish soldiers who had served in Holland were highly sought after. There's even a record of a petition in 1745, during the Jacobite rising, where the British government allowed Scots Brigade veterans to return home and join the army fighting Bonnie Prince Charlie. Luna: So they were fighting on both sides of the Jacobite wars? Lucas: Some did. But most of the brigade stayed loyal to the government. Their Calvinist background made them deeply anti-Catholic, and the Stuart cause was Catholic. So it wasn't a hard choice. After the 1715 and 1745 risings, the British government actually tightened the laws against Scots serving foreign powers, but the brigade was exempt because of its special status. Luna: How did it finally end? Lucas: In 1784, the Dutch Republic was in decline, and the British government under Pitt the Younger pressured the States General to disband the brigade. The British wanted to recruit those soldiers for their own army, and the Dutch couldn't refuse. So after 212 years, the Scots Brigade was dissolved. Most of the soldiers were integrated into British regiments, and the Scottish character faded. But the legacy lives on in the names of some Dutch towns and in the archives of the National Library of Scotland. Luna: Is there any physical trace left in the Netherlands? Lucas: There are churches in Utrecht and Leiden that still have Scottish gravestones and memorials. And in the Scottish Cemetery in Utrecht, you can see the graves of soldiers from the 17th and 18th centuries. It's a quiet reminder of a time when Scottish soldiers were a common sight in Dutch cities. There's also a museum in Leiden that has a display on the Scots Brigade. Luna: That's something I'd love to see one day. Lucas: It's a tangible link to a forgotten history. And it shows that Scotland's story isn't just about what happened within its borders. For centuries, Scots were part of a wider European story. And thanks to the support of listeners, we can keep uncovering those connections.