The Jacobite Rebellions of the British Isles

The story of the Jacobite Rebellions really began in 1534, when King Henry VIII changed the official religion of England from Catholic to Protestant. The narrative then continued through turbulent times of civil war and religious and political strife, leading to tensions and discontent boiling over when the Catholic King James II came to the throne in 1685; whereupon he was immediately beset by a Protestant rebellion led by the Duke of Monmouth, which set a chain of events in motion, resulting in William III and Mary II being crowned as Joint Monarchs after a bloodless coup.

It was James’ removal from the throne which created the spark for his supporters to orchestrate a series of revolts, known as the Jacobite Rebellions; the name coming from the Latin for James – Jacobus. These uprisings, which included the rebellions from the Highlands of Scotland, and the Williamite Wars in Ireland, also formed part of the wider picture of a European war, known as the Nine Years War; the War of the Grand Alliance; or the War of the League of Augsburg (1688-1697). During which, King Louis XIV of France strived to realise his expansionist plans while enforcing the Catholic religion and continuing to promote the Jacobite cause for his own ends.

Later, King Louis XIV was instrumental in initiating another conflict in Europe; the Spanish War of Succession 1701-1714, which led the French to continue to support, Jacobite risings in Scotland during the same period and beyond, ultimately leading to Bonnie Prince Charlie’s audacious bid for the British throne in 1745.

The ‘45 rebellion was eventually put down in the crushing military defeat at Culloden in 1746 when the last pitched battle on British soil finally sounded the death knell for the Catholic and Stuart monarchy. However, the legend of the dashing prince, who came so near, but yet so far in his bid to win the throne back for the Stuarts, is still very much alive in Scotland, especially as he continued to frustrate an enormous government manhunt to capture him, amidst a savage backdrop of reprisals being wreaked on the Highland Jacobites.