Alexander Leslie:A Mercenary Of The Seventeenth-Century Scotland

This dissertation focuses on the Scottish mercenaries of the 17th century,taking the field marshal,Alexander Leslie(1582?-1661)as an example to discuss the causes of the Scottish mercenaries enlisting overseas in the period,and the roles they played in the Thirty Years’ War and Bishops’ Wars.Introduction raises the research issue,reviewing the historiography associating with Alexander Leslie and Scots mercenaries in English Scholarship,and presents the materials.Chapter 1 investigates the international and domestic background of the Scots enlisting overseas,finding the European battlefield’s demand for mercenaries,the Scottish backward economy situation and the highland people strong and warlike traditions caused a large number of Scots enlisting overseas.Chapter 2 explores the motives of the Scottish enlisting overseas,including the pursuit of money and social status,religious sentiment,the pursuit of honor and adventure.It also introduces the enlisting process of Alexander Leslie,finding that Leslie’s growth environment laid the foundation for his excellent mercenary career.Chapter 3 describes the performance of Scottish mercenaries officers like Alexander Leslie in the thirty years’ war and how they were promoted,finding that the kith and kin was important for Scots.Chapter 4 introduces the process of Scottish mercenaries officers return to Scotland to participate in Bishop s’ wars,pointing out that they not only bring advanced military equipment and military technology to Scotland,but also affect the pattern of war to a certain extent depending on their excellent military talents.