KEITH, ANDREW [SSNE 6533]
Text source
Andrew Keith was a Scottish officer in the Polish army during the time of Polish-Swedish hostilities in the 1620s. Robert Frost believes her served in the dragoons but according to Michal Paradowski, Keith (known in Lithuanian army also as 'Andrzej Kot') led a company of foreign infantry. His unit was raised in September 1621 to fight as part of Duke Krzysztof Radziwill's army in Livonia against the Swedes. He remained in service until end of August 1622. On paper the unit had a strength of 150 men, but in fact never reach more than 120. During campaign this number was reduced to as few as 40. Keith with his unit took part in battle of Kropimojza/Kroppenhof on 28 of November 1621 and in July 1622 he took part in siege of Mitawa/Mitau. This is possibly the same man recorded as 'Adrian' Keith in the dragoons who served in 1626.R. Frost, "Scottish soldiers, Poland-Lithuania and the Thirty Years' War" in S. Murdoch ed. Scotland and the Thirty Years' War, 1618-1648 (Brill, 2001), p.207. We thank Michal Paradowski for updating this article based on his reading of the following sources: Jan Kunowski, Ekspedycyja inflantska 1621 roku, (Bia?ystok, 2007), pp.130, 146, 119; Ksi?cia Krzysztofa Radziwi??a hetmana polnego Wielkiego Ksi?stwa Litewskiego sprawy wojenne i polityczne 1621 – 1632, (Paris, 1859), pp.224, 231.
Service record
- POLAND-LITHUANIA, INFANTRY
- Arrived 1621-01-01, as OFFICER
- Departed 1626-12-31, as OFFICER
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY