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Anniversary of the Auld Alliance
🏴 Bonnie Scotland and La Belle France! 🇫🇷
The Auld Alliance (French: Vieille Alliance; Scottish Gaelic: An Seann-chaidreachas) was a historic diplomatic and military pact signed on July 5, 1295, between the kingdoms of Scotland and France. It was created as a strategic response to the growing threat of English aggression under Edward I, aiming to contain England through mutual support: if either France or Scotland was attacked by England, the other would launch an invasion to divide the English forces. This alliance shaped centuries of Franco-Scottish cooperation, from joint military campaigns during the Hundred Years' War to cultural and trade exchanges that deeply influenced both nations. Notably, Scottish soldiers fought alongside the French at the Battle of Baugé in 1421 and were honored for their bravery.
Though the alliance is traditionally thought to have ended with the Treaty of Edinburgh in 1560, when Scotland began aligning more closely with Protestant England, some historians argue otherwise. British historian Siobhan Talbott, after in-depth archival research, concluded that the Auld Alliance was never formally revoked. She found that ties between Scotland and France continued long after the 1707 Acts of Union and even into the 20th century, despite the Entente Cordiale of 1906 between Britain and France. The Auld Alliance, signed on July 5, is remembered not just as a military agreement, but as a lasting bond of friendship and shared purpose between two nations resisting a common foe. 💙 🤍 ❤️ 🇫🇷 🏴
The Auld Alliance (Vieille Alliance in French) was the alliance between the kingdoms of Scotland and France before the Union of Crowns, when the Scottish monarch James VI acceded to the throne of England (as James I).
The alliance played a significant role in the relations between Scotland, France and England from its beginning in 1295 to the 1560 Treaty of Edinburgh. The alliance was renewed by all the French and Scottish monarchs of that period except by Louis XI. By the late 14th century, the renewal occurred regardless of whether either kingdom was involved in a conflict with England.
This tartan was commissioned by Mme Olga Poivre d'Arvor, the Director of the French Institute in Scotland to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Institute.
The alliance extended into the lives of the Scottish population in a number of ways, affecting architecture, law, the Scots language and cuisine, among other things. Scottish soldiers served within the French army; there were reciprocal dual nationality agreements; and France granted privileges to Scottish vintners. Many Scots studied at French universities, something which continued up until the Napoleonic Wars. David de Moravia, Bishop of Moray, helped found the Scots College of the University of Paris and among those who studied or taught at French Universities were: the poets John Barbour and George Buchanan; the historian Hector Boece; the founder of St Andrews University, Henry Wardlaw; the founder of Aberdeen University, William Elphinstone; the founder of the Advocates Library, George Mackenzie, and the noted translator of Rabelais, Sir Thomas Urquhart. Scottish castles built with French construction in mind include Bothwell and Kildrummy.
For a beautiful collection of multiple tapestry panels celebrating the French connection, click the "Auld Alliance" panel from the marvelous Scottish Diaspora Tapestry project.