Western History 116: What was the Jacobite Rebellion?

George II was king of Great Britain and Elector of Hanover from 1727 to 1760. He is considered a mediocre monarch who relied heavily on his ministers, such as Robert Walpole and Charles Townsend, as well as his queen  Caroline of Ansbach for for guidance. George was the last British monarch born outside the country. The two most significant events of his reign were the Jacobite Rebellion and the War of the Austrian Succession.  We have already discussed the former so lets look at the latter.

George II Sources:BBC

The Jacobites were the supporters of the Stuart Monarch James II (Latin Jacobus). They resented the alliance that George II had with the Whigs and drew in support from the Tories. A great deal of Jacobite strength resided in the Celtic periphery – Scotland, Wales and Ireland – and they enjoyed support from many religious Roman Catholics and Anglican Tories.

Two Jacobite attempts to restore Stuart power had failed earlier in 1715 (the so-called Fifteen Rebellion) and  1719 (the Rising in the Scottish Highlands). France and Spain had assisted these respective rebellions.  A later Rebellion broke out in 1745 and was aptly named the Forty-Five Rebellion. Leading the rebels was the young Prince Charles Edward who was later dubbed the Young Pretender or Bonnie Prince Charlie. His father, the Old Pretender James Edward, who was a son of the former monarch James II. In the initial stages of the conflict the rebels were very successful, consolidating control of much of Scotland, a victory at Prestonpans followed as they drove south into England all the way to Derby. Another win was secured at Falkirk in January 1746 as the Government forces stumbled.

Bonnie Prince Charlie source: BBC

However the retreat of the Jacobite rebels to the Highlands gave forces loyal to George II time to regroup. A large force under William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland destroyed the rebels at a spot near Inverness in what would become the Battle of Culloden. This effectively ended the rebellion.

Battle of Culloden Source: Historic UK

Bonnie Prince Charlie escaped to the continent disguised as a woman  where he would live out his last years. His supporters would later describe him as ‘The king over the water’.

Culloden though was a watershed moment in English history. The victory solidified Hanoverian power against the old Stuart threat and at the same time dealt a serious blow to Scottish nationalist sentiments.  Over the next hundred years (1750-1850) Scotland would be subjected to a Clearing of the Highlands – an agricultural and land revolution that would harshly impact the population causing mass emigration to North America and Australasia in particular.