Due to the scheduled speaker being indisposed, John Hammond had offered to give a talk – keeping the topic secret until he started – slightly worrying for the President! However, there was nothing to worry about, John started speaking about a regular holiday jaunt he and his wife used to make; to Aubigny-sur-Nère in the Loire region of France. He then further surprised us by explaining that every year there is an event to celebrate the Auld Alliance – notwithstanding the scattering of English members present!
Unfortunately, no one took any notes so I am relying on my memory and the internet and thus present an expanded history lesson.
Aubigny-sur-Nère
Aubigny-sur-Nère which is twinned with Haddington in East Lothian, is situated in the historic province of Berry, which is now in the Cher département of the Centre-Val de Loire region. Aubigny-sur-Nère is proud of its Franco-Scottish heritage as the ‘City of the Stuarts’. In 1423, in the name of the Franco-Scottish ‘Auld Alliance’, King Charles VII of France awarded Sir John Stuart of Darnley, a Constable of the Scottish army, the town and its surrounding lands, in thanks for his services against the English during the Hundred Years War.
Today, Aubigny’s approach to its Scottish heritage is touched by humour – a giant statue of a Scotsman who could almost be from the film Braveheart stands on the edge of the town, which boasts a traditional British red telephone box and a nursery called Kilts et Culottes. Meanwhile, The Aubigny Auld Alliance Pipe Band features the town’s notaire, the local police adjutant, a chef and several young ladies, all of whom learned to play the bagpipes from Ketty, a Scottish student on a language study holiday who ended up marrying one of her pupils, a fireman named Alban. The Pipe Band have even been invited to play Brittany’s prestigious Festival Interceltique de Lorient, where Celtic music is taken very seriously, indeed!
So, what about the Auld Alliance? The easy bit is: The Auld Alliance treaty was signed in 1295. How and why was Norway involved? Well, it’s not that far from Norway to Scotland, especially if you are a seafaring nation. But we do need to explain how John Balliol, the Scottish king, came onto the scene
Norwegian Involvement
Both the Hebrides and the Isle of Man had come under Norwegian influence dating to the reign of King Harald Fairhair of Norway, probably in the early 10th century. Norwegian control had been formalised in 1098, when Edgar, King of Scotland signed the islands over to King Magnus III of Norway, setting the boundary between Scots and Norwegian claims in the west. The Scottish acceptance came after the Norwegian king had imposed more direct royal control over the Hebrides as well as Orkney and the Isle of Man in a swift campaign earlier the same year. In Norwegian terms, the islands were the Southern Isles.
By the beginning of the 12th century, Largs in the north Ayrshire area of Scotland lay at the periphery of the Norwegian realm, ruled by magnates who recognised the overlordship of the kings of Norway. Fast forward to the mid-13th century, and two Scottish kings, Alexander II and his son Alexander III, attempted to incorporate the region into their own realm. The culmination of this was the battle of Largs, celebrated in the town each summer.
Battle of Largs
The Battle of Largs (2 October 1263) was a battle between the kingdoms of Norway and Scotland, on the Firth of Clyde near Largs, Scotland. The conflict formed part of a Norwegian expedition against Scotland in which Haakon Haakonsson, King of Norway attempted to reassert Norwegian sovereignty over the western seaboard of Scotland. Due to stormy weather some of the Norwegian ships had foundered and come ashore. Aided by a convenient earth mound, mud and delaying tactics, Alexander III was victorious, so ending up to 500 years of Norse Viking depredations and invasions. Despite being tremendously outnumbered, and without a one-sided military victory in the ensuing battle, the victory caused the complete retreat of Norwegian forces from western Scotland and the realm entered a period of prosperity for almost 40 years.
Margaret of Norway
A young princess, Margaret of Norway, now takes centre stage: Margaret was the only child of King Eric II of Norway and his first wife, Margaret of Scotland, the daughter of Alexander III. She was born in south-eastern Norway and grew up without her mother, who died in childbirth. Her father, who was just a teenager at the time, was advised to place her in the custody of the Bishop of Bergen, where she was raised.
By the end of the reign of her grandfather King Alexander III of Scotland, she was the only surviving descendant and was recognised as the Scottish heir presumptive. Alexander died in 1286 after falling from his horse on the sands of Kinghorn, in Fife, and broke his neck. His second wife Yolande was pregnant, but the child was stillborn, leaving Margaret to inherit the crown. As she was only three at the time, she remained in Norway for four years before starting the journey to Scotland.
There was then double dealing between Norway and England, involving the future of Scotland and eventually Margaret set sail in August 1290 on board one of her father’s ships, though he did not accompany her. Her former guardian, the Bishop Narve, was present however. It is noted that she began her journey in good health but became ill during the journey causing the ship to land in Orkney to find medical assistance. Having suffered on Orkney for up to a week from either food poisoning or, less likely, motion sickness, Margaret died between 26 and 29 September 1290 in the arms of the bishop.
The close relationship between the monarchy in Scotland and England is fascinating.
Family Tree from Wikipedia, Margaret, Maid of Norway
Who was to be king?
Margaret was the last legitimate descendant of King William the Lion. After her death, thirteen men laid claim to the throne, including Robert Bruce and John Balliol. The help of Edward I was sought and he agreed to adjudicate between what ended up as the 13 competitors for the Scottish crown; all of whom could claim some distant connection with the House of Dunkeld. Over time, the 13 competitors were boiled down to 3, then 2: John Balliol and Robert Bruce. Balliol was the grandson of the eldest daughter of David, Earl of Huntingdon, who in turn was the younger brother of William I. Bruce was the son of the second daughter of the same David, Earl of Huntingdon.
On 6 November 1292 the arbiters recommended in favour of John Balliol. Edward announced his acceptance of their recommendation in the Great Hall of Berwick Castle on 17 November 1292 and Balliol was crowned King of Scotland at Scone, on 30 November 1292, St Andrew’s Day. Edward wasted no time in proving that Balliol was his man, humiliating him and forcing him to do as he was told in governing what was now treated as little more than a province of England. Matters came to a head in 1294 when Edward demanded Scottish troops to support his war against France. Under pressure from his council, Balliol refused, and this led to the signing of a formalised a mutual defence agreement with Philip IV of France against England, the Auld Alliance, signed on the 23rd October 1295.
Edward’s response, on 30 March 1296, was to sack Berwick-upon-Tweed. Capturing the town took just a few hours: killing many thousands of its inhabitants took several more days. The Scottish army was defeated at the Battle of Dunbar on 27 April 1296. John Balliol was captured by Edward’s troops on 10 July, in the churchyard at Stracathro in Angus. He was then forced to sign a document admitting he had allied himself with his feudal overlord’s enemies and surrendering his Kingdom to Edward.
An Enduring Relationship
“As the saying goes, “the enemy of my enemy, is a friend”. So, the Auld Alliance is one of the most enduring and interesting relationships in European history, which has endured in various forms for over 800 years. The friendship was born out of a mutual need for an ally, against the dastardly English, of course.” (Written by Nassie, a Canadian with French citizenship!)
At the time, France and England had been at war for centuries, as had the Scots and the English. Mutual assistance involved everything from fighting for each other’s cause to family intermarriages, undeniably linking the history of both nations. Oh, and the introduction of claret to Scotland.
Many Scots mercenaries settled in France over the years, although they continued to think of themselves as Scots. One such man was Beraud Stuart of Aubigny: a third-generation Scot immigrant, Captain of the Garde Écossais from 1493-1508, and hero of France’s Italian wars. To this day both he and other Scots heroes of the Auld Alliance are celebrated in Beraud’s home town of Aubigny-sur-Neve in an annual pageant.
The Auld Alliance wasn’t simply a military alliance; it was based on a long-established friendship founded on the Scots love of French wine.
The signing of the Auld Alliance might have given the Scots French support against England, but it also gave the Scottish merchants the privilege of selecting the first choice of Bordeaux’s finest wines – a privilege which was eagerly protected for hundreds of years, much to the annoyance of English wine drinkers who received an inferior product.
French wine was landed on Wine Quay of Leith and rolled up the streets to the merchants’ cellars behind the water front. The wine landed was mostly for the elite of Scottish society, with most commoners drinking whisky or beer, but it seems to have been popular with everyone for Hogmanay celebrations.
My thanks is due to a number of fascinating websites. PT.
Why not join us?
New members are always welcomed at the Club. If you are 50 or over, retired, or nearing retirement, (men only, I’m afraid, sorry ladies) you can attend three meetings as a guest and find out what a relaxed and friendly time we have. That’s plenty of time to decide whether to become a Club member or not. Please check out our programme and then use our Contact Form if you wish to attend as a guest, or to enquire about joining.
Largs Probus Club will next meet on Wednesday 9th April at 10:00am within the Willowbank Hotel, when Alex McKinnon will speak on Physics and Ben Nevis.