Scots and Italy as seen through Alba amicorum, 1540s–1720s Part 1

Abstract

The modern historiography of Scots in Italy has been relatively ill-served, which the present article seeks to redress in a limited way. The study of alba amicorum can be a great tool to assist in uncovering these peregrinating Scots, who went beyond the Alps and enhanced early modern Italian studies at various cultural, educational, and linguistic levels. Grouped under socioprofessional categories, the first part of the article explores the academic world and military officers from the emergence of the tradition of album keeping in the 1540s right through to the first third of the eighteenth century, when new developments and tendencies shaped the album to the current poetry album. This paper shows that the phenomenon of Scottish students attending European universities and higher institutions was larger than previously thought among members of the gentry and nobility. These written mementoes illustrate a broader conception of education, both within academic institutions and outwith them. In correlation, Scotsmen took up posts as pedagogues and educators, but in these teaching roles, with one major exception, they have not been scrutinized properly for their careers in Scotland, let alone abroad on the Continent, including as tertiary educators at Catholic and Protestant universities and academies. As for Scottish officers, a facet of their personalities predominates that is distinct from their usually underlined military skills. Instead, within these alba, erudition and linguistic skills come through, and these contributions address other noncombative interests and investments, such as sociocultural experiences.