The Scottish diaspora in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Scottish diaspora in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Summary/Abstract: At the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth experienced an unprecedented influx of Scottish immigrants. It is estimated that at its peak (the 1640s) there were approximately 30,000 Scottish settlers in Poland (Bajer, 2012, p.77). At a time when Europe was engulfed in various wars and religious conflicts, the multi-ethnic and tolerant Polish – Lithuanian Commonwealth became 'the America of those days' for Scottish migrants (Popławska, 1993, p. 35), enabling them to obtain full civic rights and gain the highest distinctions. Hence, this article is concerned primarily with the main factors that enticed this migration as well as the Scot's contribution to religious, political and military life of Poland.

• Details
• Contents