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Swords for Hire: The Scottish Mercenary

James Miller

Start date: March 2, 2019

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Mar 12, 2019 Elliot rated it really liked it

Shelves: history, military-history, non-fiction, scotland

In the reading I’ve done over the past year or two I’ve come across several mentions of Scottish mercenaries. These allusions always brief, but they piqued my interest enough for me to search for a book on the history of Scottish mercenary soldiers. Thus, I found Swords for Hire, and I could hardly have settled on a better book!

In his preface, James Miller states “Within limits set by resources and time I have made an attempt to provide for the general reader a survey of the exploits and experie In the reading I’ve done over the past year or two I’ve come across several mentions of Scottish mercenaries. These allusions always brief, but they piqued my interest enough for me to search for a book on the history of Scottish mercenary soldiers. Thus, I found Swords for Hire, and I could hardly have settled on a better book!

In his preface, James Miller states “Within limits set by resources and time I have made an attempt to provide for the general reader a survey of the exploits and experiences of Scots who sought to earn a living as soldiers in Europe up until the late eighteenth century – that is, until roughly the time they found service under a British flag in an expanding empire” (x). Having here stated his purpose, I think he fulfills it excellently.

The scope of the content and its research impressed me. Miller starts with the few mentions of Scots fighting for the French in the Hundred Years war (c. 1400) and covers almost any recorded instance of Scottish mercenaries serving in Europe, ending with Scots serving the Russian Empire as late as 1788. Admittedly, there are a few drawbacks to this survey. Mainly, it felt repetitive at times, when names began to blend together, and it became difficult to distinguish who from who (not helped by the fact that many of the personalities shared the same names!).

Most of the content of the book is centered around the Thirty Years war (1618-1648), and its proceeding and succeeding decades. Not surprisingly, the states most Scots found service in were in northern Europe, such as the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, etc. and these countries were heavily involved in conflicts throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. The Thirty Years War was the strongest section of the book, probably because there were plenty of sources for Miller to draw upon. Most notable is Robert Monro’s account, Monro His Expedition with the Worthy Scots Regiment Called Mac-Keys, which, incidentally, is the first ever regimental history. By following Monro and other notable Scots such as Alexander Leslie, I was able to get immersed into their stories. The immersion was aided by the liberal sprinkling of first hand accounts, whose antique spelling and grammar was a delight to read (or rather decipher)!

On the whole, though, I greatly enjoyed this book. I was previously aware of the presence of Scottish mercenaries in Europe, but it surprised me how many there were, and at how many achieved high positions in their adopted countries. At times, it seemed that every second or third general in Gustavus Adolphus’ Swedish army was a Scot! While I may be exaggerating here, it is undeniable that there was a significant number of Scots who held such important positions as generals, admirals, and governors during the period covered in this book.

One aspect of this book which I am pleased to report is the number and quality of maps and plates. There are seven maps – simple but very useful. I was always able to find the name of a place mentioned in the text. The black-and-white plates were outstanding. There are 26 illustrations including portraits, old maps, engravings, and more. These were fantastic.

I would take my rating with a grain of salt because I'm enthusiastic about the book's subject. Nevertheless, this is a strong book, valuable as an introduction to the topic, as well as being a good historical read. ...more

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