Sunday, October 1, 2023
  • Advertise with us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms & Conditions
Dailynews journal
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Bizarre
  • Entertainment
  • Gaming
  • General Knowledge
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science
  • Society
  • Technology
  • Weird Stuffs
  • Home
  • Bizarre
  • Entertainment
  • Gaming
  • General Knowledge
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science
  • Society
  • Technology
  • Weird Stuffs
No Result
View All Result
Dailynews journal
No Result
View All Result

10 Truly Hardcore Scottish Mercenary Fighters

Colombia, Poland, Venezuela, Ireland, Sweden, Morocco—the list goes on. For hundreds of years, Scottish soldiers have taken the opportunity to earn money by fighting in foreign lands. In other words, they were mercenaries. Sometimes these Scottish soldiers of fortune supported established monarchs, while on other occasions, they fought with rebels anxious to upend the status quo. But wherever they went and whoever they fought, the results most often were tales well worth the telling.

Related: 10 Fascinating Stories From Legendary Mercenaries

READ ALSO

10 Remarkable Stories of People Who Escaped the Rat Race

10 Innovative Ways That Beavers Can Save the World

10 Peter McAleese

A Glaswegian born in 1942, Peter Maltese led a band of mercenary fighters to Colombia in 1989. McAleese had an impressive pedigree for his role as the commander of a motley bunch of soldiers of fortune. He’d served with Britain’s feted elite force, the SAS. In a documentary film about his life, McAleese reinforced his image as an all-around tough guy, saying, “I was trained to kill by the Army, but the fighting instinct came from Glasgow.”

McAleese left the army in 1969 and drifted into the shadowy world of mercenary fighters, seeing action in African hotspots such as Angola and what was then Rhodesia and is now Zimbabwe. But why did he travel to Colombia? In a barely credible turn of events, he’d been hired by the Cali Cartel to kill the leader of its main rival, the Medellin Cartel. In other words, McAleese’s mission was no less than to assassinate Pablo Escobar. The Scotsman and his buddies were to helicopter into Escobar’s compound. But McAleese’s chopper crashed in the Andes, injuring him badly. The plot was aborted. McAleese escaped and died in 2021, aged 79. Escobar was killed in a gun battle in 1993.[1]

9 Gregor MacGregor, Prince of Poyais

Born on Christmas Eve 1786, Gregor MacGregor launched his military career conventionally enough by joining the British Army’s 57th Foot Regiment while still only a 16-year-old. The young man saw action in the Napoleonic Wars and eventually attained the rank of major before hanging up his sword in 1810. For his next adventure, his eyes turned to South America, and he arrived in Venezuela in 1812.
MacGregor was acquainted with the revolutionary leader General Francisco de Miranda, who accepted him into his forces as a colonel in the fight against the Spanish colonialists. MacGregor, who had awarded himself a knighthood, rose to be a general in the Venezuelan Army. His exploits included an attempt to seize Florida from the Spanish and a bid to found a colony in Nicaragua.

His most grandiose scheme, however, saw him taking the title of Prince of Poyais as he developed a colony in the Bay of Honduras. To do so, he enticed gullible British investors and prospective colonizers with false claims. They lost all their money, and the colony was a total disaster. Somehow, “Prince” Gregor walked away unscathed.[2]

8 Patrick Leopold Gordon of Auchleuchries

Born in the northeast of Scotland in 1635, Patrick Gordon first left his native land while still a teenager. He traveled to the Polish city of what was then Danzig and is now Gdańsk, where he enrolled at a Jesuit college. A war between Poland and Sweden erupted in 1655, and that was when the young Gordon first became a mercenary. It seems he was none too choosy about who his employers were since he fought on both sides during the hostilities.

In 1661, Gordon walked away from both Poland and Sweden, electing to join the Russian army. With the rank of major, he gave useful service in 1661 by crushing civil disturbances in Moscow. After Peter the Great came to power in 1696, Gordon became a key adviser and even friend to the young Tsar, earning the rank of general. He played an important part in suppressing an attempted palace coup against Peter in 1698. He died a year later.[3]

7 James Francis Edward Keith

Keith was a high-born Scot, the second son of the 9th Earl Marischal of Scotland. Despite that, he was forced to leave his homeland after becoming involved in the unsuccessful Jacobite attempt to seize the British throne in 1715. Fleeing to France, Keith ended up in Spain, where he became an officer in the Spanish Army. But since he was a Protestant in a Catholic country, his prospects were poor, so he left for Russia.

In 1728, Keith was made a colonel of a Russian regiment and fought against the Swedes. After his time with the Russians, it seems that Keith was keen for new pastures, and he joined the Prussian Army, seeing extensive action in the Seven Years’ War that convulsed much of Europe and North America. By now a Field Marshall, Keith fought at the 1758 Battle of Hochkirch in Germany when 80,000 Austrians faced 31,000 Prussians. The Austrians routed the Prussians killing 9,000 of them, including Keith.[4]

6 Archibald Ruthven of Forteviot

Archibald Ruthven was born into a distinguished Scottish family—his father was Lord Ruthven. In 1572, Ruthven sailed for Scandinavia, where he accepted a post in the army of the Swedish king, Johan III. Johan’s first order was that the Scot should return to his homeland to recruit 2,000 mercenaries. In the event, he returned to Sweden with nearly 4,000 soldiers.

Ruthven became embroiled in a bitter dispute about his soldiers’ pay which resulted in the execution of one Scottish officer for embezzlement, Hugh Cahun. Before he was put to death, Cahun accused Ruthven, baselessly as far as we know, of plotting the assassination of King Johan. Apparently in the clear, Ruthven now sailed for Livonia on the Baltic Sea with his troops. There, a bitter dispute with their German allies resulted in the deaths of some 1,500 men. The upshot of this deadly squabble was that Ruthven was again accused of plotting against Johan. Despite his denials, the unfortunate Scot was imprisoned and died in jail.[5]

5 Sir Harry Aubrey de Vere Maclean

Born into a well-to-do Scots family in 1848, the splendidly named Sir Harry Aubrey de Vere Maclean joined the British Army in 1869 and saw service in Canada, Gibraltar, and Bermuda. After seven years in the army, Maclean resigned his commission and accepted the position of a drill instructor in the army of the Sultan of Morocco, Mawlay Hassan.

Not long after he arrived in Tangier, Mclean took command of 400 infantry troops, with an increase in pay dependent on him learning Arabic, which he did. Abdul-Aziz succeeded Hussain as the sultan and retained Mclean’s services, sending him on missions to various Moroccan provinces. But life in Morocco was not without its perils; in 1907, the Scotsman was kidnapped and held for ransom for seven months. The following year Abdul-Aziz was deposed by his own brother Mawlay Abdul-Hafiz. The new sultan was minded to keep Mclean on, but the two couldn’t agree on a contract, so Mclean resigned, living out his days in Tangier until his death in 1920.[6]

4 Peter Duffy

Raised in the northern Scottish town of Elgin, Peter Duffy was born into some privilege in 1941. He was sent to Gordonstoun, the same private school that King Charles attended a few years after. Later in life, Duffy was second-in-command of a group of mercenaries who went to engineer a coup in Seychelles Island in 1981.

Duffy’s commander was “Mad” Mike Hoare, a notorious mercenary of many years. Hoare and Duffy led a group of fighters drawn from ex-Rhodesian soldiers and ex-South African special forces. Armed to the teeth, the men flew into Seychelles aboard a commercial flight. Unfortunately for Duffy and his comrades, an airport official noticed an AK-47 in one man’s luggage. A gunfight ensued, and Duffy and others made good their escape by hijacking an Air India plane, leaving behind one dead comrade. Several of the conspirators were tried the next year in South Africa. Duffy got five years, Hoare 10. Duffy died a broken man in 1981.[7]

3 George Sinclair

In 1612, Captain George Sinclair sailed from Scotland with a troop of Scottish mercenaries that he’d recruited in Caithness in the Scottish Highlands. They were to join the cause of King Charles IX of Sweden, who was fighting his neighbor Christian IV of Denmark. Sinclair and some 300 men landed in Norway with the intention of marching to Sweden.

The Scots had not bargained for the possibility that the Norwegians might not take kindly to a mercenary force tramping across their country. As it happened, the Norwegians were not at all happy. Seven days after Sinclair and his men had arrived on Norwegian soil, a local force launched a deadly ambush. As the Scots entered a narrow valley, the Norwegians rolled boulders down the slopes to block their escape routes. Once the rocks had been unleashed, musketeers picked off the mercenaries, killing more than 150. Sinclair was shot dead by a man named Berdon Sejelstad. The Scotsman’s wife and child, who had unwisely accompanied the ill-fated expedition, were also killed, although not before the woman had stabbed one of the Norwegians to death.[8]

2 Redshanks

The Redshanks were mercenaries mostly recruited from the islands of the Hebrides off the coast of northwest Scotland, although mainland Highlanders joined in as well. In the 16th century, they went to fight for the Irish as they opposed the English invaders of the Emerald Isle. Life in the Highlands and islands of Scotland could be very tough, and men were glad to earn money paid to those who fought for Irish lords.

In one case, a regiment of Highland fighters came as a kind of wedding present. That was in 1569 when the Scottish Lady Agnes Campbell, daughter of the Earl of Argyll, married the Irish nobleman and chief Turlough Luineach O’Neill. She brought 1,200 Scottish mercenaries to the marriage. Unsurprisingly, the English were none too happy about the continual influx of Highland warriors arriving in Ireland. From the late 16th century, the English authorities began to pay off Highland clan chieftains. The payments—bribes might be the correct word—were made on the condition that the chiefs kept their men at home.[9]

1 Alexander Leslie of Auchintoul

Alexander Leslie of Auchintoul was born into a landowning Scots family in 1590—Auchintoul is in the northeast of Scotland. Leslie started out fighting for the Poles in 1618 when he was captured by the Russians. They released him, and by 1629, he was employed by the Swedes. The Swedish king, Gustav II Adolf, sent him to Moscow, and Leslie tarried there in the service of the Tsar.

The Smolensk War, a conflict between Poland and Russia, broke out in 1632, and Leslie brought regiments of mercenaries from European countries, including England and Scotland, to fight for the Tsar. Returning to Scotland in 1637, Leslie embroiled himself in the Civil War of the time, on the wrong side. Captured in battle in the Scottish Borders, he narrowly escaped execution, the fate of many of his comrades. However, he was banished and never allowed to return to Scotland. Leslie returned to Russia, where he achieved the rank of general, the first Scot to do so. His achievements included seizing Smolensk from Polish control in 1654.[10]

Related Posts

10 Remarkable Stories of People Who Escaped the Rat Race
Science

10 Remarkable Stories of People Who Escaped the Rat Race

10 Innovative Ways That Beavers Can Save the World
Science

10 Innovative Ways That Beavers Can Save the World

10 Surprising Ways Technology Is Preserving Endangered Species
Science

10 Surprising Ways Technology Is Preserving Endangered Species

10 Things You May Not Know about Crows
Science

10 Things You May Not Know about Crows

10 Futuristic Technologies That Are More Cool Than Useful
Science

10 Futuristic Technologies That Are More Cool Than Useful

10 Acts of Forgiveness in the Face of Adversity
Science

10 Acts of Forgiveness in the Face of Adversity

Next Post
10 Stolen Works of Art Recovered Through Unusual Circumstances

10 Stolen Works of Art Recovered Through Unusual Circumstances

Trending

10 Common Activities That Turned into Tragic Freak Accidents

10 Common Activities That Turned into Tragic Freak Accidents

Top 10 Controversial Celebrity Interviews of All Time

Top 10 Controversial Celebrity Interviews of All Time

10 Optical Illusions That Will Blow Your Brain

10 Optical Illusions That Will Blow Your Brain

Top 10 Female Characters Who Are Terrible but Hilarious

Top 10 Female Characters Who Are Terrible but Hilarious

Ten Things You Know about Cowboys That Are Totally Wrong

Ten Things You Know about Cowboys That Are Totally Wrong

10 Remarkable Stories of People Who Escaped the Rat Race

10 Remarkable Stories of People Who Escaped the Rat Race

10 Bizarre Research Projects from the 2023 Ig Nobel Prizes

10 Bizarre Research Projects from the 2023 Ig Nobel Prizes

10 Surprising Benefits of Laughter That Are Backed by Science

10 Surprising Benefits of Laughter That Are Backed by Science

Ten Tales from the Cuban Missile Crisis

Ten Tales from the Cuban Missile Crisis

10 Innovative Ways That Beavers Can Save the World

10 Innovative Ways That Beavers Can Save the World

  • Advertise with us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms & Conditions

© 2021 Copyrights - All rights reserved.

xoso xoso tin chelsea thông tin chuyển nhượng câu lạc bộ bóng đá arsenal bóng đá atalanta bundesliga cầu thủ haaland UEFA everton xoso futebol ao vivo futemax multicanais onbet bóng đá world cup bóng đá inter milan tin juventus benzema la liga clb leicester city MU man city messi lionel salah napoli neymar psg ronaldo serie a tottenham valencia AS ROMA Leverkusen ac milan mbappe napoli newcastle aston villa liverpool fa cup real madrid premier league Ajax bao bong da247 EPL barcelona bournemouth aff cup asean football bên lề sân cỏ báo bóng đá mới bóng đá cúp thế giới tin bóng đá Việt UEFA báo bóng đá việt nam Huyền thoại bóng đá giải ngoại hạng anh Seagame tap chi bong da the gioi tin bong da lu trận đấu hôm nay việt nam bóng đá tin nong bong da Bóng đá nữ thể thao 7m 24h bóng đá bóng đá hôm nay the thao ngoai hang anh tin nhanh bóng đá phòng thay đồ bóng đá bóng đá phủi kèo nhà cái onbet bóng đá lu 2 thông tin phòng thay đồ the thao vua app đánh lô đề dudoanxoso xổ số giải đặc biệt hôm nay xổ số kèo đẹp hôm nay ketquaxoso kq xs kqxsmn soi cầu ba miền soi cau thong ke sxkt hôm nay thế giới xổ số xổ số 24h xo.so xoso3mien xo so ba mien xoso dac biet xosodientoan xổ số dự đoán vé số chiều xổ xoso ket qua xosokienthiet xoso kq hôm nay xoso kt xổ số mega xổ số mới nhất hôm nay xoso truc tiep xoso Việt SX3MIEN xs dự đoán xs mien bac hom nay xs miên nam xsmientrung xsmn thu 7 con số may mắn hôm nay KQXS 3 miền Bắc Trung Nam Nhanh dự đoán xổ số 3 miền dò vé số du doan xo so hom nay ket qua xo xo ket qua xo so.vn trúng thưởng xo so kq xoso trực tiếp ket qua xs kqxs 247 số miền nam s0x0 mienbac xosobamien hôm nay số đẹp hôm nay số đẹp trực tuyến nuôi số đẹp xo so hom qua xoso ketqua xstruc tiep hom nay xổ số kiến thiết trực tiếp xổ số kq hôm nay so xo kq trực tuyen kết quả xổ số miền bắc trực tiếp xo so miền nam xổ số miền nam trực tiếp trực tiếp xổ số hôm nay ket wa xs KQ XOSO xoso online xo so truc tiep hom nay xstt so mien bac trong ngày KQXS3M số so mien bac du doan xo so online du doan cau lo xổ số keno kqxs vn KQXOSO KQXS hôm nay trực tiếp kết quả xổ số ba miền cap lo dep nhat hom nay soi cầu chuẩn hôm nay so ket qua xo so Xem kết quả xổ số nhanh nhất SX3MIEN XSMB chủ nhật KQXSMN kết quả mở giải trực tuyến Giờ vàng chốt số Online Đánh Đề Con Gì dò số miền nam dò vé số hôm nay so mo so de bach thủ lô đẹp nhất hôm nay cầu đề hôm nay kết quả xổ số kiến thiết toàn quốc cau dep 88 xsmb rong bach kim ket qua xs 2023 dự đoán xổ số hàng ngày Bạch thủ đề miền Bắc Soi Cầu MB thần tài soi cau vip 247 soi cầu tốt soi cầu miễn phí soi cau mb vip xsmb hom nay xs vietlott xsmn hôm nay cầu lô đẹp thống kê lô kép xổ số miền Bắc quay thử xsmn xổ số thần tài Quay thử XSMT xổ số chiều nay xo so mien nam hom nay web đánh lô đề trực tuyến uy tín KQXS hôm nay xsmb ngày hôm nay XSMT chủ nhật xổ số Power 6/55 KQXS A trúng roy cao thủ chốt số bảng xổ số đặc biệt soi cầu 247 vip soi cầu wap 666 Soi cầu miễn phí 888 VIP Soi Cau Chuan MB độc thủ de số miền bắc thần tài cho số Kết quả xổ số thần tài Xem trực tiếp xổ số XIN SỐ THẦN TÀI THỔ ĐỊA Cầu lô số đẹp lô đẹp vip 24h soi cầu miễn phí 888 xổ số kiến thiết chiều nay XSMN thứ 7 hàng tuần Kết quả Xổ số Hồ Chí Minh nhà cái xổ số Việt Nam Xổ Số Đại Phát Xổ số mới nhất Hôm Nay so xo mb hom nay xxmb88 quay thu mb Xo so Minh Chinh XS Minh Ngọc trực tiếp hôm nay XSMN 88 XSTD xs than tai xổ số UY TIN NHẤT xs vietlott 88 SOI CẦU SIÊU CHUẨN SoiCauViet lô đẹp hôm nay vip ket qua so xo hom nay kqxsmb 30 ngày dự đoán xổ số 3 miền Soi cầu 3 càng chuẩn xác bạch thủ lô nuoi lo chuan bắt lô chuẩn theo ngày kq xo-so lô 3 càng nuôi lô đề siêu vip cầu Lô Xiên XSMB đề về bao nhiêu Soi cầu x3 xổ số kiến thiết ngày hôm nay quay thử xsmt truc tiep kết quả sxmn trực tiếp miền bắc kết quả xổ số chấm vn bảng xs đặc biệt năm 2023 soi cau xsmb xổ số hà nội hôm nay sxmt xsmt hôm nay xs truc tiep mb ketqua xo so online kqxs online xo số hôm nay XS3M Tin xs hôm nay xsmn thu2 XSMN hom nay xổ số miền bắc trực tiếp hôm nay SO XO xsmb sxmn hôm nay 188betlink 188 xo so soi cầu vip 88 lô tô việt soi lô việt XS247 xs ba miền chốt lô đẹp nhất hôm nay chốt số xsmb CHƠI LÔ TÔ soi cau mn hom nay chốt lô chuẩn du doan sxmt dự đoán xổ số online rồng bạch kim chốt 3 càng miễn phí hôm nay thống kê lô gan miền bắc dàn đề lô Cầu Kèo Đặc Biệt chốt cầu may mắn kết quả xổ số miền bắc hôm Soi cầu vàng 777 thẻ bài online du doan mn 888 soi cầu miền nam vip soi cầu mt vip dàn de hôm nay 7 cao thủ chốt số soi cau mien phi 777 7 cao thủ chốt số nức tiếng 3 càng miền bắc rồng bạch kim 777 dàn de bất bại on news ddxsmn 188bet w88 w88 789bet tf88 sin88 suvip sunwin tf88 five88 12bet sv88 vn88 Top 10 nhà cái uy tín sky88 iwin lucky88 nhacaisin88 oxbet m88 vn88 w88 789bet iwin f8bet rio66 rio66 lucky88 oxbet vn88 188bet 789bet May-88 five88 one88 sin88 bk8 8xbet oxbet MU88 188BET SV88 RIO66 ONBET88 188bet M88 M88 SV88 Jun-68 Jun-88 one88 iwin v9bet w388 OXBET w388 w388 onbet onbet onbet onbet88 onbet88 onbet88 onbet88 onbet onbet onbet onbet qh88 mu88 Nhà cái uy tín pog79 vp777 vp777 vipbet vipbet uk88 uk88 typhu88 typhu88 tk88 tk88 sm66 sm66 me88 me88 8live 8live 8live sm66 me88 win79 8live sm66 me88 win79 pog79 pog79 vp777 vp777 uk88 uk88 tk88 tk88 luck8 luck8 kingbet86 kingbet86 k188 k188 hr99 hr99 123b 8xbetvn vipbet sv66 zbet taisunwin-vn typhu88 vn138 vwin vwin vi68 ee88 1xbet rio66 zbet vn138 i9betvip fi88club cf68 onbet88 ee88 typhu88 onbet onbetkhuyenmai 12bet-moblie 12betmoblie taimienphi247 vi68clup cf68clup vipbet i9bet qh88 onb123 onbef soi cầu nổ hũ bắn cá đá gà đá gà game bài casino soi cầu xóc đĩa game bài giải mã giấc mơ bầu cua slot game casino nổ hủ dàn đề Bắn cá casino dàn đề nổ hũ tài xỉu slot game casino bắn cá đá gà game bài thể thao game bài soi cầu kqss soi cầu cờ tướng bắn cá game bài xóc đĩa AG百家乐 AG百家乐 AG真人 AG真人 爱游戏 华体会 华体会 im体育 kok体育 开云体育 开云体育 开云体育 乐鱼体育 乐鱼体育 欧宝体育 ob体育 亚博体育 亚博体育 亚博体育 亚博体育 亚博体育 亚博体育 开云体育 开云体育 棋牌 棋牌 沙巴体育 买球平台 新葡京娱乐 开云体育 mu88 qh88
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Bizarre
  • Entertainment
  • Gaming
  • General Knowledge
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science
  • Society
  • Technology
  • Weird Stuffs

© 2021 Copyrights - All rights reserved.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT