Under James II. James II had fled England in December 1688, and his daughter and son-in-law, Mary and William of Orange (William III) were proclaimed English queen and king of England and Ireland on 13 February 1689. The first Jacobite uprising took place almost immediately after this. Supported by and under order of Louis XIV James landed in Ireland in March 1689 with plans to invade mainland Britain. The first battle between Jacobite and government forces took place on 27 July at the Pass of Killicrankie (near Pitlochry, Scotland). Though the Jacobite ambush under Dundee's leadership dealt a severe blow to the government forces, Dundee was shot and died soon afterwards. In the next battle at Comdale near Grantown-on-Spey in May 1690, the Jacobite forces were caught by surprise at night. Though they gave a good fight, they were quickly put to flight. Two months later James faced William III at the Battle of Boyne, twenty miles from Dublin. As a battle it did not count for much. Master strategist that he was, William had James's French and Irish troops quickly surrounded. James, directing the battle from Dublin, spent the night lost of options, and the next morning did what was fast becoming a habit — he fled back to France, there to sulk and rue his awful tryst with fate and failure. He died a fool for pessimism in 1701.
Killicrankie, Scotland
Under the Old Pretender. One would have thought that with the death of James II in exile would have brought the hope of Stuart revival to an end, but it did not. French political interests now turned to the infant who was born just before James II fled England, whom history knows better as the Old Pretender. In 1708 the French put together a force of 28 ships and 5,000 men to bring him back to Scotland with the hope of a rising and a chance to reclaim the throne. The venture came out a dismal failure. It was badly organized, the commander of the fleet incompetent, James came down sick during the voyage, the Protestant Wind gave them a beating and they were finally driven off by the Britsh navy under charge of Admiral Byng.
The death of Queen Anne in 1714 and her succession by the Hanoverian would have been a golden opportunity for a rising. There were already Jacobite riots all over England, and the Scots hated the Hanoverians. But it was an opportunity missed. A Scots-initiated uprising arose the following year, and managed to capture Perth in October but then squandered away the opportunity to take the defenseless city of Edinburgh while waiting for James Stuart to turn up, which he did only just before Christmas. And when he did he did nothing to impress the Scots as a king. And then the government troops began closing in. Though his coronation was planned for 23 January 1716 at Scone (the tradition site for the coronation of Scottish kings), he did what his father did; he left, never to return ever again.
In 1719 another Scots-initiated uprising occurred, this time with the help of the Spanish who sent a fleet of 20 ships and 5,000 men. While they were scattered across the English Channel by the Protestant Wind, the gathered Scottish leaders quarreled. The rising dissolved like ice on a hot day when their troops, including Spanish mercenaries, sequestered at the picturesque Eilean Donan Castle, were pounded into surrender.
Under the Young Pretender, Bonnie Prince Charlie. The French had backed a new uprising in 1744 but was pulled at the last minute. The infamous Protestant Wind had already damaged twelve ships, and sinking five of them, even while they were in the marshalling year. When Charles plea for further French aid failed he pawned his family jewels, bought two ships and arms and, in July 1745, sailed for Scotland. One of them was turned back by the English navy. The other, with Charles on board, landed in the Outer Hebrides, from which Charles then made for the mainland. He managed, despite some initial discouragement, to raise the standard and, by the end of the year had taken Edinburgh, even defeating a superior government force at Prestonpans, east of the city. He then convinced his Scottish council to invade England, and in less than four weeks had gained Derby. Then things began falling apart. He urged his council to press on towards London. They demurred; they had signed up to restore their king, not the king of England. Just then a messenger informed them that a third government force was fast approaching (there was none; the messenger was a Hanoverian spy). The council was unanimous that they should head back to Scotland. Now pursued by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, the younger son of King George II, he was, by nature, cruel and efficient in turn, and would soon gain the moniker 'The Butcher'. The Jacobites were no match for him and his superior forces. The Battle of Culloden (near Inverness) was the last battle the Jacobites would ever fight. Seeing how things were up, Charles fled; the last Stuart to carry on the habit. Culloden, incidentally, was also the last battle to be fought on mainland Britain.
Further Reading:
Peter Ackroyd, Revolution. The History of England from the Battle of Boyne to the Battle of Waterloo (New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2016).
John MacLeod, Dyasty. The Stuarts, 1560-1807 (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1999).
Simon Schama, A History of Britain. The British Wars 1603-1776 (London: BBC, 2001).
©ALBERITH
081120lch