Entente Cordiale Centenary - Welcome

With a legacy of political, military, economic and cultural amity stretching back over 700 years, to the original Auld Alliance treaty of 1295 ("the oldest alliance in the world," according to General de Gaulle), the interconnections between France's and Scotland's history are many and colourful.

On the Scottish side, they're densely woven through everything from our royal and aristocratic family trees to our language, including - some scholars claim - such quintessentially Caledonian terms as haggis (from the French "hachis", meaning minced meat) and Hogmanay ("Homme est né" - Man is born).

In 18th century France, the intellectual and political impact of the Scottish Enlightenment was such that Voltaire famously declared, "We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation". Today, Edinburgh remains France's only Consulate outside London, and, with the French Assembly debating a decentralisation of power to the regions, its politicians are looking with interest to the Scottish experience of devolution. 

Our online coverage of the Entente Cordiale centenary will explore and highlight aspects of this shared history both great and small, ancient and modern, with contributions or suggestions from historians - amateur or professional - warmly welcomed. Family lore, local place-names, proverbs, folk-songs, building styles: alongside the headline stories of treaties and dynasties, politics and trade, all these and more can contain an Auld Alliance connection.