The Jacobite Risings – 1715 & 1745
The Jacobite Risings were dramatic, passionate attempts to restore the exiled House of Stuart to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
These rebellions left an indelible mark on British and Scottish history.
What Sparked the Risings?
After the Glorious Revolution (1688), the Catholic James II was deposed in favor of Protestant rulers.
Jacobites (from “Jacobus,” Latin for James) believed the true line of kings was wrongly displaced.
They sought to return James II’s descendants to the throne — even if it meant civil war.
The First Jacobite Rising – 1715 (“The Fifteen”):
•Led by James Francis Edward Stuart (“The Old Pretender”), the son of James II.
•The Earl of Mar raised the Jacobite standard in Scotland.
•Jacobites captured key cities like Perth and challenged British forces.
•Despite early promise, poor leadership and hesitation doomed the cause.
•At the Battle of Preston, Jacobite forces surrendered, and James fled back into exile.
The Second Jacobite Rising – 1745 (“The Forty-Five”):
•Led by Charles Edward Stuart (“Bonnie Prince Charlie”), grandson of James II.
•Jacobites won an iconic victory at the Battle of Prestonpans.
•They marched as far south as Derby, England, only 120 miles from London!
•However, faced with dwindling support and a powerful British army, they retreated.
•At the Battle of Culloden (16 April 1746), government forces under Duke of Cumberland crushed the Jacobites in a brutal, short battle.
Aftermath:
•Severe reprisals followed: executions, imprisonments, and destruction of Highland culture.
•Traditional clan life was dismantled.
•Laws banned tartan, bagpipes, and carrying weapons in Scotland.
•Many Highlanders emigrated to America, Canada, and Australia.
Legacy:
•Though the Stuarts never returned, the Jacobite story lives on in poetry, songs like “The Skye Boat Song,” and romantic legends.
•It remains a proud and painful chapter in Scotland’s national memory.
The Jacobite Risings were a fight for loyalty, faith, and a lost dream —
a dream that changed Britain forever.
