The Scots in Foreign Service Project and Collaborative Profile of the Week Present
Alexander Leslie (abt. 1580 - 1661)
Alexander Leslie rose from humble beginnings to become one of the greatest military leaders of the 17th Century. Born a Scot, at Blair Castle in Perthshire, he commanded Scottish troops in the service of the Dutch Republic (now Holland), Sweden and then became lord general in command of the Covenanters being the officer receiving the surrender of King Charles I at Newark in 1646.
His record in Scotland is quite well detailed in his profile but his record in Sweden, where he was ennobeled by Gustav Adolphus and later commanded the Swedish Army when Gustav Adolphus was killed (16 Nov 1632) at the Battle of Lützen, is not. He held title to two earldoms in what is now Germany and one in Sweden. He was to serve 30 years with the armies of Sweden and the protestant States commanding thousands of Scottish soldiers, many of whom will stay. Many of the descendant families now scattered across Sweden, Finland, Russia and the Baltic States come from this period in history.
This profile is not the usual Collaborative Profile. There is a biography. He is connected.
- The Scottish project is now in need of that European contribution. Is there any material existing in the European records that can build on the Profile of this soldier.
- Would someone furnish an appropriate background image, perhaps the Leslie tartan?
- Are there Categories that can be added?
Scots in Foreign Service Project
The Scots in Foreign Service Project, a sub-project of the Scotland Project, is a collaborative effort of Wikitree users to highlight those Scots that fought abroad between the 12th Century and the Acts of Union in 1707.
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