Jacobite Uprisings and Battles

In 1688, William of Orange initiated an invasion of England, resulting in the displacement of the House of Stuart from authority. King James VII, a Catholic monarch, along with his young son, were compelled to seek asylum in France. As a consequence, William and Mary, who was the offspring of James VII, assumed the throne as Protestant monarchs over Scotland, England, and Ireland.

In 1707, the amalgamation of Scotland and England took place, greatly disappointing adherents of the Jacobite cause.

James VIII/III endeavored twice to claim the throne, initially in 1708 and subsequently in 1715, culminating in the Jacobite uprising of 1715 under the leadership of the Earl of Mar. In the month of October, a contingent of Jacobite forces embarked on a journey into southern England, with the hope of gathering public support along the way. However, they predominantly encountered antagonistic local militias and succeeded in enlisting only a small number of backers. The Jacobite troops progressed as far as Preston, where they suffered defeat by the hands of Lieutenant General Wills' army on November 12, 1715.

By 1719, the Jacobites established an alliance with Spain, resulting in a rebellion guided by Lord Tullibardine and Earl Marischal.

Faced with the failure to secure French backing for another invasion, Prince Charles, renowned as the "Young Pretender," made the decision to self-finance a Jacobite uprising in 1745. He embarked on a journey from France to Scotland, arriving on Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides in July 1745, subsequently traversing the Highlands to assemble a Jacobite military contingent.

The Jacobite uprisings, spanning more than a century, were marked by their violent nature. The estimated count of Jacobite casualties ranges between 1,500 and 2,000 individuals killed or wounded, with a considerable portion of these occurring during the aftermath of battles.

In April 1746, the Jacobite army led by Bonnie Prince Charlie engaged with the redcoat forces of the Duke of Cumberland at Culloden, near Inverness. In a span of less than an hour, approximately 1,600 men met their demise, out of which 1,500 were Jacobites. This encounter signified the ultimate major clash fought on the British mainland.
Jacobite Uprisings and Battles