Auld alliance

The Auld Alliance (Scots for "Old Alliance"; Vieille Alliance in French) was the alliance between the kingdoms of Scotland and France. The Scots word auld, meaning old, has become a partly affectionate term for the periodic alliance between the two countries before the Union of Crowns, when the Scottish monarch James VI acceded to the throne of England (as James I).

The alliance played a significant role in the relations between Scotland, France and England from its beginning in 1295 to the 1560 Treaty of Edinburgh. The alliance was renewed by all the French and Scottish monarchs of that period except Louis XI. By the late 14th century, the renewal occurred regardless of whether either kingdom was involved in a conflict with England.

The alliance dates from the treaty signed by John Balliol and Philip IV of France in 1295 against Edward I of England. The terms of the treaty stipulated that if either country was attacked by England, the other country would invade English territory, as happened at the Battle of Flodden, 1513. The alliance played an important role in conflicts between both countries and England, such as the Wars of Scottish Independence, the Hundred Years' War, the War of the League of Cambrai and the Rough Wooing.

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