First kings of Poland may have had roots in Scotland

The origins of the Piasts is unclear, however, and has been debated by scientists for decades.
A scarcity of sources means there are significant gaps in the historical record, with theories of their beginnings including them having been local Slavic chieftains, exiles from Moravia in the modern day Czech Republic, or Viking warriors.
Read More:
Now though, advanced DNA testing carried out by Professor Marek Figlerowicz from Poznań University of Technology has suggested the Piasts could, in fact, be related to the Picts of ancient Scotland.
Working alongside the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, scientists analysed the skeletal remains found in more than a dozen crypts from the Piast era, including from Płock Cathedral, where remains dated from 1100 to 1495.
Analysis was carried out on 30 males and 33 females, with the former all sharing a rare halogroup on the Y-chromosome which today is found primarily in Britain.
One of the closest comparisons genetically was a Pictish man buried in eastern Scotland in the Fifth or Sixth Century.
Professor Figlerowicz said at a conference in Poznań: "There is no doubt we are dealing with genuine Piasts."
Mieszko I's warriors (Image: SebbeKG/Wikimedia) The results clearly show that the first Polish kings did not have local origins, though it's unclear when their ancestors arrived in the land.
Professor Figlerowicz believes strategic alliances through marriage could be the answer, pointing to Świętosława, sister of Bolesław the Brave, who married kings of Denmark and Sweden and became the mother of rulers of England, Denmark, and Norway.
Bolesław I was the first king of Poland, the son of Mieszko I, the founder of the unified nation.
However, some scientists have urged caution in the Pictish interpretation.
Dr Dariusz Błaszczyk of the University of Warsaw's Institute of Archaeology has questioned the Poznań team's identification of the haplogroup (R1b-S747) which he suggested may in fact be the result of a contamination or sequencing error.
The possible link between the Picts and the Piasts is far from the only historical tie between the two countries, however.
Bonnie Prince Charlie, leader of the Jacobite uprising, was half-Polish as his mother, Maria Clementina Sobieska, was born in Silesia.
She was the granddaughter of Jan Sobieski III, who was king of Poland from 1674 until 1696.
From the 16th to 18th Century, thousands of Scots merchants travelled to Poland to trade and, in many cases, settle.
Thomas A Fischer described Poland as "the America of those days", while writing in 1632 William Lithgow called it "a Mother and Nurse, for the youth and younglings of Scotland, who are yearly sent hither in great numbers".
The latter stated that there were 30,000 Scottish families in Poland at the time, with most coming from the east coast, in particular Aberdeen and Dundee.
With a strong demand for foreign goods, Scots travelled the countryside on foot selling things like needles, knives, brooches, and woollen goods.
They were not universally welcomed, accused of undercutting local merchants and failing to obey the laws of the land, with King Sigismund III declaring: "that among others there is here a large number of the Scottish nation, most of whom we are informed live licentiously, recognising neither judges nor jurisdiction nor any laws nor any superior, whence it comes that impunity being so complete, that they not only offend seriously against the laws of the Realm, but also cause great loss to our customs and revenue".
Read more:
A 1564 decree taxed Scots on the same level of Jews and Gypsies, who were second class subjects, and two years later another law made it illegal for Scots to roam the country when carrying out their business.
The effects of this mass immigration can be seen today: in the Kashubian dialect of north-central Poland the traditional word for a commercial traveller is 'szot' (Scot), and there is a village in the Kuyavia-Pomerania region called Szkocja (Scotland).
Gdansk has districts called Nowe Szkoty (New Scotland) and Stare Szkoty (Old Scotland) and many Polish second names are transliterations of Scots surnames: Czochran (Cochrane), Machlejd (MacLeod), Szynkler (Sinclair).
One of the survivors of the 1944 Warsaw rising was Wanda Machlejd, who served as a runner for the resistance.
She was the was the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great- great granddaughter of a mercenary soldier from Skye who travelled to fight in the Thirty Years War.
The Rising ultimately collapsed and Wanda was sent to a prison camp, which was liberated by a Scottish division of the British army.
She was moved to a camp for displaced persons and tracked down by intelligence officer Stuart Macleod, who organised for her to be brought to Dunvegan Castle on Skye to recover before returning to Poland.
Most Polish soldiers based in the UK during the Second World War were based in Scotland, with a flight training unit for Polish pilots operating from Grangemouth and a military staff college established near Peebles.
As of June 2021 there were approximately 62,000 Polish nationals living in Scotland, the most common non-British nationality.
Other than English and Scots, Polish is the language most spoken at home in Scotland.
Many cities have Polish societies and Polish shops, with the town of Duns in Berwickshire twinned with Zagan in the west of Poland.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily Record

an hour ago

• Daily Record

Scots river 'has second-highest levels of fertility-harming chemical ever found'

Joint research by York University and Scots environmental charity Fidra raised alarm on contamination of 'forever chemical' TFA in rivers. A Scots river has been found to have the second highest concentration of a toxic chemical thought to harm human fertility ever found in the world. Joint research by York University and environmental charity Fidra has raised the alarm on levels of TFA (trifluoroacetic acid) in ­ Glasgow's River Kelvin. ‌ The 'forever chemical' takes more than 1000 years to break down in the environment and German government scientists recently pushed for the EU to classify it as toxic to ­reproduction amid growing fears. ‌ TFA was found in 31 of 32 UK rivers surveyed by researchers, however the highest concentration of 78,464ng (nanograms) per litre was found in the Kelvin – the second highest recorded globally. Sally Johnston, chair of Friends of the River Kelvin, said: 'We need answers on what is causing it and who is accountable. 'It's good to get evidence because then we can action things from there. But the researchers don't even know what the source of this is and it's multifarious. 'We are an urban river. Close to roads, it has been an industrialised river in the past, it's a river that's in recovery. There were 55 working mills on the Kelvin at one point, so it could be a historical issue. But as a little group, we don't have the capacity to do chemical analysis.' Johnston said it had been a 'frantic' week for volunteers after the findings, with dog walkers asking if the Kelvin is still safe for them and their pets. ‌ But she stressed: "We've still got a beautiful river here with amazing wildlife. It's a good thing that people become more aware of things like forever chemicals.' "We blindly consume and then we start to ask questions when they become meaningful to us. "So if this raises a bit of awareness and we can ask questions and get the right information, it's ultimately about becoming more knowledgeable and then being able to act on that." ‌ TFA, which may also harm unborn babies, has been found in drinking water, wine and food, blood and breast milk. Only the record 140,000ng per litre found in the Neckar River in Germany in 2016 is worse. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. ‌ Of the UK rivers tested, only the Ness in the Highlands had no TFA. Alistair Boxall of York University said: 'It is likely levels in drinking water will be similar to those we found in some of the rivers. While there are methods to remove TFA from drinking water, these are very expensive and likely impractical. ‌ 'We urgently need to stop ­chemicals like TFA at source so they don't get into our environment.' Hannah Evans of Fidra said: 'We're asking the UK Government to turn off the tap of these ­persistent forever chemicals.' Germany's Federal Office for Chemicals last month said TFA 'may cause harm to the unborn child' and 'may impair fertility'. Environment watchdog Sepa said: 'We are considering the contents of this report and will be engaging with the researchers to better understand their findings.'

The Herald Scotland

a day ago

• The Herald Scotland

First kings of Poland may have had roots in Scotland

The origins of the Piasts is unclear, however, and has been debated by scientists for decades. A scarcity of sources means there are significant gaps in the historical record, with theories of their beginnings including them having been local Slavic chieftains, exiles from Moravia in the modern day Czech Republic, or Viking warriors. Read More: Now though, advanced DNA testing carried out by Professor Marek Figlerowicz from Poznań University of Technology has suggested the Piasts could, in fact, be related to the Picts of ancient Scotland. Working alongside the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, scientists analysed the skeletal remains found in more than a dozen crypts from the Piast era, including from Płock Cathedral, where remains dated from 1100 to 1495. Analysis was carried out on 30 males and 33 females, with the former all sharing a rare halogroup on the Y-chromosome which today is found primarily in Britain. One of the closest comparisons genetically was a Pictish man buried in eastern Scotland in the Fifth or Sixth Century. Professor Figlerowicz said at a conference in Poznań: "There is no doubt we are dealing with genuine Piasts." Mieszko I's warriors (Image: SebbeKG/Wikimedia) The results clearly show that the first Polish kings did not have local origins, though it's unclear when their ancestors arrived in the land. Professor Figlerowicz believes strategic alliances through marriage could be the answer, pointing to Świętosława, sister of Bolesław the Brave, who married kings of Denmark and Sweden and became the mother of rulers of England, Denmark, and Norway. Bolesław I was the first king of Poland, the son of Mieszko I, the founder of the unified nation. However, some scientists have urged caution in the Pictish interpretation. Dr Dariusz Błaszczyk of the University of Warsaw's Institute of Archaeology has questioned the Poznań team's identification of the haplogroup (R1b-S747) which he suggested may in fact be the result of a contamination or sequencing error. The possible link between the Picts and the Piasts is far from the only historical tie between the two countries, however. Bonnie Prince Charlie, leader of the Jacobite uprising, was half-Polish as his mother, Maria Clementina Sobieska, was born in Silesia. She was the granddaughter of Jan Sobieski III, who was king of Poland from 1674 until 1696. From the 16th to 18th Century, thousands of Scots merchants travelled to Poland to trade and, in many cases, settle. Thomas A Fischer described Poland as "the America of those days", while writing in 1632 William Lithgow called it "a Mother and Nurse, for the youth and younglings of Scotland, who are yearly sent hither in great numbers". The latter stated that there were 30,000 Scottish families in Poland at the time, with most coming from the east coast, in particular Aberdeen and Dundee. With a strong demand for foreign goods, Scots travelled the countryside on foot selling things like needles, knives, brooches, and woollen goods. They were not universally welcomed, accused of undercutting local merchants and failing to obey the laws of the land, with King Sigismund III declaring: "that among others there is here a large number of the Scottish nation, most of whom we are informed live licentiously, recognising neither judges nor jurisdiction nor any laws nor any superior, whence it comes that impunity being so complete, that they not only offend seriously against the laws of the Realm, but also cause great loss to our customs and revenue". Read more: A 1564 decree taxed Scots on the same level of Jews and Gypsies, who were second class subjects, and two years later another law made it illegal for Scots to roam the country when carrying out their business. The effects of this mass immigration can be seen today: in the Kashubian dialect of north-central Poland the traditional word for a commercial traveller is 'szot' (Scot), and there is a village in the Kuyavia-Pomerania region called Szkocja (Scotland). Gdansk has districts called Nowe Szkoty (New Scotland) and Stare Szkoty (Old Scotland) and many Polish second names are transliterations of Scots surnames: Czochran (Cochrane), Machlejd (MacLeod), Szynkler (Sinclair). One of the survivors of the 1944 Warsaw rising was Wanda Machlejd, who served as a runner for the resistance. She was the was the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great- great granddaughter of a mercenary soldier from Skye who travelled to fight in the Thirty Years War. The Rising ultimately collapsed and Wanda was sent to a prison camp, which was liberated by a Scottish division of the British army. She was moved to a camp for displaced persons and tracked down by intelligence officer Stuart Macleod, who organised for her to be brought to Dunvegan Castle on Skye to recover before returning to Poland. Most Polish soldiers based in the UK during the Second World War were based in Scotland, with a flight training unit for Polish pilots operating from Grangemouth and a military staff college established near Peebles. As of June 2021 there were approximately 62,000 Polish nationals living in Scotland, the most common non-British nationality. Other than English and Scots, Polish is the language most spoken at home in Scotland. Many cities have Polish societies and Polish shops, with the town of Duns in Berwickshire twinned with Zagan in the west of Poland.

STV News

14-06-2025

• STV News

Expert government body created in bid to make Scotland 'leading tech nation'

A new government body has been created to ensure that Scotland is a leading tech nation on the global stage. The Scottish Technology Council will assist ministers in maximising the country's multi-billion pound technology sector. The newly formed group will help shape policy, provide a link between businesses and the Scottish Government and promote Scottish tech companies internationally. Latest figures show Scotland's 6,800 information and communication technologies enterprises employed 67,800 staff in 2022, while the wider life sciences cluster supported 46,900 jobs in the same year. Council membership includes industry leaders and academics with experience in international markets, including health and life sciences, financial services, data and AI, advanced manufacturing, and space. Jim Rowan, the former CEO of Volvo, Dyson and Blackberry, is one of the council's notable members. The government body is due to have its first meeting on Tuesday. Minister for Business and Employment Richard Lochhead said: 'Innovation is part of Scotland's DNA. It is embedded in our culture and our society – and it has the potential to turbocharge our economy. 'From leading the industrial revolution to television, ultrasound and pioneering renewable technology, Scotland's inventions have helped shape the world around us and transformed industries and lives. 'Our goal is to help Scotland become a leading tech nation. To ensure the world recognises our pioneering spirit as not just a thing of the past, but as a vital part of our future and to create an environment where businesses and entrepreneurs can flourish, develop new technologies and drive meaningful change. 'Our world is increasingly fast-paced and the council will provide valuable insight from vastly experienced leaders in their fields, who have built their careers at the cutting edge, as we strive to support the sector to deliver high value jobs for generations of Scots, boost international trade and increase our tax revenue to deliver vital public services.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country