num_pages: 210
description: The history of the thousands of Scots who emigrated to Poland between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries has been well documented; of the hundreds who followed them in the early years of the nineteenth century, little is known and less has been recorded. Amongst them were many of Mona McLeod's ancestors.Starting from unpublished family papers, Mona McLeod has researched the Scottish backgrounds and the careers in Poland of these technicians, farmers and engineers. Their lives are set in the wider context of the turbulent history of Poland under Russian rule. Many of the enlightened landowners, who had invited them to bring their skills to Poland after the Napoleonic Wars, were themselves exiled when the 1830 Rising against Russian oppression failed. But most of the Scots stayed on, isolated from the Poles by their staunch Protestantism and maintaining close links with Scotland.These Scots made a major contribution to the development of the Polish economy, but wars and revolutions have destroyed many of their achievements. Communism has delayed research into the role of both foreigners and the aristocrats who sponsored them in the development of Poland.
language: English
title: Agents of Change: Scots in Poland 1800 - 1918
titlecomplete: Agents of Change: Scots in Poland 1800 - 1918
genres: Nonfiction
ratings_count: 3
places: Scotland, Poland
publisher: Tuckwell Press, Ltd.