DID WISELEYS COME FROM GERMANY?

Where Did We Come From – Part 4.

Did we come from Germany? Yes. There are several U S census records that list Germany as the birthplace of Wiseleys.

Are we German? I don’t think so. I believe there is a strong enough case to raise reasonable doubt and show how people who were Scotch-Irish would have been born in Germany. I have not read this “hypothesis” anywhere else. It is my own interpretation of historical facts. I do spend time reading history and I noticed some interesting events that alone were not significant, but taken together will explain why I think the Wiseleys that came from Germany were Scotch-Irish. (Yes, I admit that does sound odd. Even my wife raised one eyebrow when she read it!)

        (If you really hate reading history just skip to the SUMMARY at the bottom of this blog.)

First we need to put on hip boots and wade into the confusing events of the 30 years war (1618-1648) We should start with Martin Luther in 1517 and his posting of the 95 thesis on the college chapel door. As we know that was the start of the Protestant Reformation. By 1550 Calvinism was also a factor. It spread North along the Rhine river area in what was then known as the Palatinate. The Palatinate is the part of present day Germany that is in the southwest corner and extends along the Rhine.


Priests bless prisoners before they are hung
That was thoughtful.

 As can be expected Catholics and Protestants did not get along well. By about 1618 both sides had decided the best solution was to kill off the other side. (Seems like the Christian thing to do!) Small skirmishes gradually grew into what has been called the Thirty Years War. It involved lots of countries, politics, and religion and generally made a mess of Germany.

       The protestant nations were able to form the Protestant Union, with Frederick IV as the leader. (1608) It was partly the result of the Dutch and Danes looking to King James I of England for leadership. This alliance of protestant nations provided a united force that for 40 years would fight against the Catholic Armies. Frederick V would take over the leadership of the Union from his father Frederick IV.



 ELIZABETH - KING JAMES DAUGHTER



So how were the Scotch/Scotch-Irish part of this European (German) War? We only need to know who Fredrick V married to start putting this puzzle together. Marriage was mostly a way to gain alliances between nations or maintain the balance of power that existed. And such was the case with Frederick. He married King James I daughter Elizabeth in Feb 1613. They were married in England and then headed home to the German city of Heidelberg and the newly renovated Heidelberg Castle. 

FREDERICK V
The Winter king



          In 1618 the Bohemian Estates rebelled against the Catholic Church and invited Frederick V, head of the Protestant Union, to be their king. He gladly accepted the job of being a Protestant King in a Catholic nation. That event is generally recognized as the start of the 30 years war. The Spanish armies, fighting for the Catholic side, drove Fredrick V from the throne. He was chased out of the country and would spend the rest of his life in exile in Holland. Some say he ran like a coward. He only lasted one winter and has gained the insulting title of “The Winter King”.

The 30 years war would continue without him. It would not end until 1648. There are lots of twists and turns in this war but what we need to know is that King James poured money and troops into the thirty years war, some to support his Son-in-Law, some to support his alliances with other nations and most to fight against Spain.



But the fight against Spain did not take place in Spain but in Germany, in the Palatinate. As briefly as possible here is the situation. Spain had wanted to keep England out of the war and had tried to get King James to have his son Charles marry a Spanish princess. The Spanish did everything they could to keep James preoccupied to stay out of the European war that was coming. When the Austrian and Spanish Hapsburgs broke out in full warfare against the protestants, the Spanish not only ran Frederick out of Bohemia, they also took the Palatinate, which had once been under the authority of Frederick. James I saw he had been tricked by Spain. He went to parliament for money and troops to send to Germany (Palatine area) and drive the Spanish out!  He demanded Spain return the Palatines to his son-in-law.   James asked Parliament for 30,000 men and 500,000 pounds to equip an army to go beat the stuffing out of the Spanish. Parliament gave him 160,000 pounds.

MAP OF PALATINE

The English manned the castle in Heidelberg and other cities in the region. Significant numbers of English soldiers would have been Scottish or Scots-Irish. The times in Scotland in the early 1600’s were severe. These harsh conditions were part of the reason 50,000 Scots would go to Ulster Ireland. The same hardships would have encouraged men from Scotland or Ulster to join the English army. At least they would not starve, as so many of their countrymen were at that time.



With a large number of Scots and Ulster Scots in Germany it seems probable to me that some would have stayed, married local women and had families. More research needs to be done in this area but I think there is sufficient history to explain how Scots may have been born in Germany.

SUMMARY


A conflict erupted in Europe in the 1600’s that is known as the 30 years war. It was a fight between Catholics and Protestants. The leader of the Protestants married King James Daughter. King James sent troops to help his son-in-law. Some of the troops were from Scotland or Ulster. These Scottish troops may have stayed on in Germany. Some of them that were named Wiseley may have had families. That is one idea why some people who were born in Germany are racially Scottish or at least carried the Wiseley name when they migrated to America.

In our next blog we will consider what the forces were that made people leave their homelands and what the attractions were that drew them to the Colonies. Thanks for reading such a long blog.