Blogging from A to Z Challenge: F is for France

I’m in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge for the month of April.  I need your help!  To meet this challenge, I’ll be doing one post a day, working through the alphabet.

Your job is to comment and keep me motivated!  Let me know you’re out there and following along.  Can she make it?  Will she?  Of course she will!  With you as my cheering section, I won’t be stumped by J or Q or even X.

So without further ado, here is today’s post.

F is for France.  Yes, France.  Scotland and France have been allies since the 1200s under a treaty called the Auld Alliance.  Yes, I could have done ‘A is for Auld Alliance’ on the first day of this challenge, but I liked ‘Alba’ better to set the theme.  

Anyway, The Auld Alliance held that Scotland and France would defend each other from incursions by the hated Sassenachs – the English.  When either was attacked by England, the other would invade England, to split English forces.  The battle at Flodden Field in 1513, which became the historical background for my Highland Talents books, was the result of this alliance.  

The Scottish court fled to France several times during Scotland’s history.  Scottish soldiers fought for France for hundreds of years, and Scottish nobles went to French universities and to the French court, bringing French words, culture and cuisine back to Scotland.  And of course, Scotland traded with France, so wine and other French goods were often available, especially in the cities.

The 700th anniversary of the Auld Alliance was celebrated in 1995 in both Scotland and France.

Interested in finding the other nearly 2000 blogs participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge?  Click on the title, then scroll down to find the signup list.