SWORDS FOR HIRE

the long version

"In Swords for Hire James Miller traces the fortunes of a vast number of Scotsmen who left their native shores to earn a living fighting in mainland Europe. They went for many reasons - some were fleeing from justice and hardship at home, others were searching for fame and fortune. Most ended up as miserable foot soldiers far from home, though some became major players, with the fates of nations in their hands - men such as Sir Alexander Leslie, Patrick Gordon, James Keith and Samuel Greig. A few, like George Sinclair, the illegitimate son of a Caithness laird who was among the 300 Scotsmen killed at Kringen in 1612, have become national heroes. But not in Scotland. Together with the thousands of other Scots who served as mercenaries in European armies, Sinclair has been largely forgotten in his homeland." "This well-researched book shows how Scots soldiered on behalf of almost every dynasty and monarch on the continent, right up until the point at which they found service under the British flag as the Empire expanded, and underlines the hugely important role Scots have played in the shaping of modern Europe."--Jacket.