SCOTTISH MERCENARIES (THIRTY YEARS WAR) (48 FIGURES)

Although the Kingdom of Scotland did not directly participate in the Thirty Years' War (1618-168), as did Sweden or France, many Scots enlisted in foreign service as mercenary and mercenary troops. It is assumed that during the entire conflict, about 50,000 Scots in many European armies fought on the continent. However, the relatively largest number of Scotsmen served under the banners of Sweden and the Republic of the United Provinces, also known as the Netherlands. In the case of the first of these armies, they served primarily as foot soldiers (often as pikemen), and the relationship between Scotland and Sweden at the time was more than friendly. What's more, the mercenary Scottish soldiers very quickly became famous for their high combat value, and at the turn of 1630/1631 they even formed a special "guard" unit alongside Gustav II Adolf, called "Drabant". It is worth adding that in the 20s and 30s of the 17th century, a dozen or so regiments of Scots infantry served in the Swedish army! On the other hand, in the case of the Dutch army, one should first of all indicate the Scottish Brigade. Scots Brigade), which was formed as early as 1586 and, as the name suggests, was initially recruited only from the Scots, and later also from the English. In 1632 it consisted of 6 regiments, 3 of which were Scots.