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Swords for Hire: The Scottish Mercenary
In 1612, George Sinclair, an illegitimate son of a Caithness laird, became a Norwegian national hero. Along with almost 300 of his followers, Sinclair was killed in an ambush in Norway while marching to join the King of Sweden's army. Sinclair has legendary status in Norway but has been totally forgotten in his home country, just as the memory of thousands of other Scottish mercenaries who served in the the armies of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries has been forgotten.
In this book, James Miller tells how a considerable proportion of the able bodied male population of Scotland at one time sought service on behalf of every dynasty and monarch on the continent of Europe. Some were fleeing from justice, others went to seek fame and fortune—and found it.
In this book, James Miller tells how a considerable proportion of the able bodied male population of Scotland at one time sought service on behalf of every dynasty and monarch on the continent of Europe. Some were fleeing from justice, others went to seek fame and fortune—and found it.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2007
2 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
James Miller
12 booksLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
This is James^^^^^^^^^^Miller
James Miller (b. 1948) is a Scottish writer. He studied zoology in Aberdeen and marine biology in Montreal. After working for the British Council in Afghanistan and the Far East he became a full-time freelance writer. He has written a number of acclaimed books, including Scapa, The Dambuilders, The Foresters, Inverness and The Gathering Stream.
This is James^^^^^^^^^^Miller
James Miller (b. 1948) is a Scottish writer. He studied zoology in Aberdeen and marine biology in Montreal. After working for the British Council in Afghanistan and the Far East he became a full-time freelance writer. He has written a number of acclaimed books, including Scapa, The Dambuilders, The Foresters, Inverness and The Gathering Stream.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 25, 2019
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.
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.
December 25, 2025
apart from the details on scots in russia, it didn't tell me much of new interest.
a good reference work or a decent introduction to scotland and the thirty years' war, and miller is pretty critical of his sources at times, but i think it suffers from not having much of an analytical thread connecting each of the chapters. i was excited about the book because I enjoyed his Scottish mercenary as migrant labor article, but this felt like a pretty disconnected series of romps through europe without the kind of angle that would be more interesting.
i understand that this is more of a pop history, but he really needed some more footnotes
a good reference work or a decent introduction to scotland and the thirty years' war, and miller is pretty critical of his sources at times, but i think it suffers from not having much of an analytical thread connecting each of the chapters. i was excited about the book because I enjoyed his Scottish mercenary as migrant labor article, but this felt like a pretty disconnected series of romps through europe without the kind of angle that would be more interesting.
i understand that this is more of a pop history, but he really needed some more footnotes
December 24, 2016
Good maps.
Good broad view and focuses on early 1600s/30 years war.
Good broad view and focuses on early 1600s/30 years war.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews