The Jacobite Rebellions KS3 history — the Stuarts and Culloden

The Jacobite rebellions were attempts between 1689 and 1746 to restore the Stuart dynasty after James II was deposed in the Glorious Revolution. The risings of 1715 and 1745 — "The Fifteen" and "The Forty-Five" — came closer to success than many textbooks acknowledge; their defeat at Culloden in April 1746 permanently transformed Highland Scotland.

Who were the Jacobites and what did they want?

The word "Jacobite" comes from Jacobus, the Latin form of the name James. Jacobites were supporters of the deposed King James II (who fled to France in 1688) and his descendants. Their core belief was that the legitimate royal line — the House of Stuart — had been wrongly removed, and that the Hanoverian monarchs (George I, George II, George III) who replaced it were usurpers.

Jacobite support was concentrated in particular communities and regions:

It is important not to stereotype: not all Highland Scots were Jacobites (many clans supported the Hanoverians), and there was significant English Jacobite sentiment in areas like Lancashire and parts of the south-west.

What happened in the first Jacobite risings (1689–1690)?

The first Jacobite risings came immediately after the Glorious Revolution. In Scotland, John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, raised the Highland clans for James II. He defeated government forces at the Battle of Killiecrankie (July 1689) but was killed during the battle. Without his leadership, the rising collapsed; the Highlanders were defeated at Dunkeld shortly afterwards.

In Ireland, James II landed with French support. He controlled most of Ireland and held an Irish Parliament in Dublin. The decisive confrontation came at the Battle of the Boyne (July 1690), where William III defeated James's forces. James fled to France, never to return.

The Massacre of Glencoe (February 1692) — in which government forces killed around 38 members of the MacDonald clan of Glencoe who had been slow in swearing an oath of loyalty to William III — was not a Jacobite rising, but it poisoned Highland relations with the government and fed Jacobite sympathy for decades.

What was the Fifteen (1715)?

The rising of 1715 — called "The Fifteen" — was the most serious attempt to restore the Stuarts before 1745. James Francis Edward Stuart, son of James II (known as "the Old Pretender"), was the Jacobite claimant. The death of Queen Anne in 1714 and the succession of the Hanoverian George I had revived Jacobite hopes.

The rising was led in Scotland by the Earl of Mar. Mar raised a substantial army but proved an indecisive commander. The decisive engagement was the Battle of Sheriffmuir (November 1715), which ended inconclusively — but the government's forces, led by the Duke of Argyll, prevented Mar from advancing south.

In northern England, a Jacobite force captured Preston but was surrounded and forced to surrender. The Old Pretender himself arrived in Scotland in December 1715 — too late to change the outcome — and sailed away in February 1716 as the rising collapsed. He never returned to Britain.

Key reasons for failure: poor military leadership (Mar), inadequate French support, no major English rising, and the government's swift response.

What was the Forty-Five (1745)?

The Forty-Five is the most famous Jacobite rising, immortalised in Scottish folk song and legend. Its leader was Charles Edward Stuart — the grandson of James II, known as "Bonnie Prince Charlie" or the "Young Pretender".

Charles landed on the Scottish island of Eriskay in July 1745 with just seven companions. He raised the clans, captured Edinburgh (except the castle) without fighting, and defeated a government army at the Battle of Prestonpans (September 1745) in a surprise dawn attack.

His army then marched south into England, reaching Derby by 4 December 1745 — the furthest south a Jacobite army ever penetrated. At Derby, Charles's council of officers voted to retreat. Intelligence suggested (wrongly, it later emerged) that a large government force was nearby and that expected English Jacobite support had not materialised.

The retreat proved fatal to the rising's momentum. The Jacobite army withdrew to Scotland, won one more engagement at Falkirk (January 1746), but was pursued northward and confronted by the Duke of Cumberland's forces on Culloden Moor near Inverness on 16 April 1746.

What happened at the Battle of Culloden?

The Battle of Culloden lasted only about 40 minutes. Cumberland's army outnumbered the Jacobites, was better supplied and better positioned. The Jacobite Highland charge — which had devastated government forces at Prestonpans — was broken by disciplined musket fire and artillery on the exposed moorland at Culloden. The Jacobite army disintegrated.

What followed the battle was systematic and brutal. Cumberland's forces killed wounded Jacobites on the field, then pursued and executed suspects across the Highlands. He earned the nickname "Butcher Cumberland" in Scotland (while being celebrated in England). Charles Edward Stuart evaded capture for five months, sheltered by loyal Highlanders including Flora MacDonald, before escaping to France. He lived in exile until his death in 1788, never returning to Britain.

What were the consequences of the defeat at Culloden?

Culloden was the last battle fought on British soil and the end of the Stuart claim as a serious political force. The consequences for Highland Scotland were severe and transformative:

1. The Disarming Act (1746): Highlanders were banned from carrying arms
2. Abolition of heritable jurisdictions (1747): Clan chiefs lost their legal authority over their tenants — the basis of the clan system's power
3. The Dress Act (1746): The wearing of Highland dress (including the tartan and kilt) was banned — an attempt to suppress Highland cultural identity; repealed 1782
4. Military occupation: Government forts and roads (partly built after 1715) extended government control into previously unreachable areas
5. The Clearances: Though not a direct consequence of Culloden, the transformation of Highland society accelerated in the following decades as landlords cleared tenants to make way for sheep farming

The Jacobite cause effectively died at Culloden, though it lived on as a cultural and romantic tradition — the "Jacobite" tourism of tartan and Highland romanticism (partly manufactured by Sir Walter Scott in the early 19th century) is a reminder of how history can be reshaped into myth.

Why did the Jacobite cause fail in the end?

Several factors explain the ultimate failure of Jacobitism:

• Lack of English support: In 1745, fewer English Jacobites rose than Charles's advisers had hoped; most English people, even those with Jacobite sympathies, were unwilling to risk civil war
• French unreliability: France supported the Jacobites as a means of destabilising Britain, not from genuine dynastic loyalty; French support was always conditional and often inadequate
• The new political settlement: The Revolution of 1688 had created a constitutional order in which Parliament was sovereign; this was increasingly accepted by the political nation
• Protestant identity: Britain's Protestantism made a Catholic Stuart monarchy seem threatening to religious liberty as well as political order
• Military reality: The British army and navy, after 1745, could reach any part of the British Isles; the logistical and organisational advantages of the government were simply too great

Frequently asked questions

Was Bonnie Prince Charlie a good military leader?

His leadership is debated. He showed personal courage and the charisma to win Highland support almost from nothing, and the march to Derby was a remarkable achievement. However, his decision-making at key moments — particularly his insistence on fighting at Culloden despite advice to choose better ground — contributed to disaster. Historians have also noted that he treated his Highland allies with diminishing respect as the campaign wore on. The romantic myth of the "Bonnie Prince" has often obscured a more complex and flawed individual.

What was the Massacre of Glencoe?

In February 1692, a company of government troops under Captain Robert Campbell quartered in the glen of Glencoe, accepted the hospitality of the MacDonalds for several days and then massacred their hosts — killing around 38 men, women and children. The MacDonalds had been technically late (by six days) in swearing allegiance to William III. The massacre was ordered from above and violated the Highland tradition of hospitality. It caused lasting outrage and became a symbol of government treachery in Highland memory.

What happened to the Scots after Culloden?

The immediate consequences were severe — military occupation, penal legislation and the destruction of clan structures. In the longer term, many Highlanders were cleared from the land by their own chiefs in the Highland Clearances (roughly 1750–1860), as sheep farming proved more profitable than tenant rents. Many emigrated to North America, Australia and New Zealand, taking their Gaelic language and traditions with them. The irony is that Highlandism — tartan, bagpipes, Highland Games — became celebrated as a Scottish national identity by the 19th century, even as its original carriers were being driven from the land.

Was the Jacobite cause purely Scottish?

No. Jacobitism had English, Irish and Welsh dimensions. In England, significant Jacobite sentiment existed among Roman Catholics and some Tory landowners, particularly in Lancashire and parts of the north. In Ireland, Jacobitism was connected to Catholic hopes for religious tolerance and political rights. The 1715 rising had an English component — a Jacobite force marched south from Scotland and linked with English supporters, though it was defeated at Preston. The Forty-Five failed partly because this English support did not materialise in the numbers hoped for.

Want to decide whether Bonnie Prince Charlie made the right call at Derby or whether the retreat was the fatal mistake? Professor Harari at aitutors.me helps you argue from evidence and consider causes at multiple levels.