Franz von Bayern or, as Jacobites would call him, Francis II became the Jacobite de jure king in 1996, and is descended from the youngest daughter of Charles I (Princess Henrietta-Anne) via the House of Savoy and the House of Este. The song's author, John Francis Wade, was a Jacobite who often . The '45 was over and Bonnie Prince Charlie headed back to the . 3. After that, Bonnie Prince Charlie wandered Europe in search of supporters for his cause and even secretly visited London in 1750 in another failed effort at rebellion, known today as the Elibank plot. The later Stuarts were not especially well loved, but the union was even less so, he says. Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who arent really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse. The final and bloodiest rebellion was led by Bonnie Prince Charlie himself in 1745 and it culminated in the slaughter at Culloden in 1746. A young man from South Uist in the Outer Hebrides played a key role in Charles Edward Stuart's escape following his defeat at Culloden in 1746. Related: Outlander Season 6: The True Story Of The Boston Tea Party. Wooden boards covered with pigskin and backed with jaguar skin, with silver mounts, Scotland Transformed, Level 3, National Museum of Scotland. On Charless death in 1788, his brother, Henry Benedict, became the Jacobite Henry IX of England and I of Scotland. It was not until the Seven Years War in 1759 that Prince Charles had another real opportunity at the throne when the French Foreign Prime Minister, Duc de Choiseul, called Stuart to a secret meeting in Paris. Yet the one thing that united all Jacobites was not their nationality or the breaking up of the Union, but, as previously stated, their desire to see the return of the Stuarts to the British and Irish thrones. Government troops were not far behind, and a bloody battle was fast approaching. Prince Charles story does not end with his escape, however, and while Claire (Caitriona Balfe) makes mention of Bonnie Prince Charlies later years during Outlanders pot-smoking scene, there is much more to his story. After the death of Louis XIV in 1715, France revoked its support of the Jacobite cause, but in 1744, with the War of Austrian Succession waging across the continent, James managed to secure financing, soldiers, and ships from the French to advance into Scotland. As detailed by Historic UK, the Prince and MacDonald set sail in a small boat from Benbecula on 27th June 1746, not to the mainland but to Skye, landing in Kilmuir at what is today called Rudha Phrionnsa (Princes Point). It was from there that the Bonnie Prince (played by Andrew Gower in Outlander) was able to secure passage to France, where he lived until the peace between Great Britain and France in 1748 forced his removal from French soil. She is the author of Jacobites: A New History of the 45 Rebellion (Bloomsbury, 2016), This article was first published by HistoryExtra in May 2016, Enjoying HistoryExtra.com? inaccuracy or intrusion, then please As for the death toll in Cumberlands genocidal rampage in the Highlands and Islands, the estimates vary from a few thousand to a number well in excess of 10,000. You can move up and down the timeline using the date bands: the bottom band moves you along centuries quickly and the middle bank moves along decades. Whats more, many Scots had been antagonised by King Williams imposition of Presbyterianism a more austere form of Protestantism as the Church of Scotland. Charles fled the mainland and made for the Hebrides, outwitting both a massive military cordon and a reward of 30,000 which had been offered to anyone prepared to betray him. In tears, the Young Pretender had fled the battlefield. To be fair, they still did not turn him in despite the 30,000 reward more than 2 million in todays money. We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. The Stuarts had reigned in Scotland for centuries, and the Jacobites craved the reinstatement of the Stuart male line, says Christopher Whatley, professor of Scottish history at the University of Dundee. Bonnie Prince Charlie: Biography. As Magnus Magnusson recounts in Scotland: The Story of a Nation: Of the total of 3471 Jacobite prisoners, 120 were executed: most by hanging, drawing and quartering, four by beheading because they were peers of the realm the privilege of rank. https://www.thoughtco.com/bonnie-prince-charlie-4766631 (accessed May 2, 2023). Europe became increasingly restless when Emperor Charles VI died in 1740, and tension mounted between Protestant England and Catholic/Jacobean communities in Scotland and France. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). A French invasion of Britain in support of the Stuarts in early 1744 had been abandoned, mainly due to severe weather, leaving Charles, who had arrived in France to lead the invasion, kicking his heels in Paris. On October 18, 1748, the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ended the War of the Austrian Succession and confirmed the right of succession of the House of Hanover. Duc de Choiseul planned to use Jacobite numbers to lead the French Invasion with Prince Charles at the helm, however, when Prince Charles arrived late and drunk, the Foreign Minister abandoned his plan. With her help, Prince Charles (who was also, ironically in this case, known as the Young Pretender) makes his escape after months spent in hiding following the Jacobite rebellion that led to the Battle of Culloden. On the night of April 15, 1746, the Jacobites attempted a surprise attack, but they got lost in the marsh and darkness, rendering the attempt a dismal failure. Described as bold as a lion in the field of battle, he led the successful siege of Carlisle and commanded the left wing of the Jacobite army at the Battle of Culloden. In 1784, a lonely Charles legitimised his daughter Charlotte, who left her children (or so the story goes) with her mother in order to nurse Charles through his final years. After Charles's defeat at Culloden, the British authorities were determined to clamp down on the trouble the Highland clans had caused. Four days later he routed Sir John Copes army at Prestonpans, near Edinburgh; early in November, with 5,500 men, he crossed the English border and headed toward London. Bring the Curriculum for Excellence to life with the help of the national collections. Certainly, the Duke of Cumberland believed that another battle could occur in the months following Culloden. The various acts introduced after the battle, in particular the Heritable Jurisdictions (Scotland) Act of 1746, in concert with the pacification of the Highlands, made another rising in this region extremely unlikely [the act abolished the traditional judicial rights afforded to a Scottish clan chief]. The group has its roots in a secret society which remained loyal to Bonnie Prince Charlie after Culloden. Out of those dreadful times came one shining beacon of light how the people of the Highlands and Islands showed immense courage, enduring loyalty and proper morality in aiding their Bonnie Prince to escape to the Continent. "Charles' entire career and fame were based on 14 months of glory, the rest was failure.. By the age of six, he was fluent in reading English, French and Latin, was gaining a firm grasp of music, and he rode and shot with enthusiasm. Unable to obtain more French aid, Charles decided to set off on his own to regain the crown. Next week you can find out where he did go in one of the great unsung adventures of Bonnie Prince Charlies life. The Duke of Cumberlands enthusiastic leadership in this process won him the soubriquet the butcher. She went to America in 1774, where ironically her family helped to fight for the Hanoverian King, George III, against rebels who were staging the first battles in what would ultimately become the successful American struggle against the British Crown for independence. Lets get that debate started! This pin cushion has 67 names are printed on it along with the words "MART: FOR:K:&COU:1746", meaning martyred for king and country 1746. Diana Gabaldon has often told the story of how the 1969 Highland-themed Dr Who episode, named War Games, which featured the Tardis land in 1746 Scotland as Bonnie Prince Charlie faced defeat at . At the same time, the aging James named 23-year-old Charles Prince Regent, tasking him with taking back the crown. This would be the last major battle ever fought on the British mainland. She was released in 1747 and returned to Scotland. Charles very much wanted to stay in the houses of Cameron of Lochiel and Macpherson of Cluny, but their homes had been razed by Cumberlands ravagers. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to This glorious revolution had confirmed a Protestant succession, in a predominantly Protestant Great Britain, which, from 1714, was embodied in the Hanoverian dynasty. It was the end of his adventure and of the Stewart threat to the British throne. Yet the government army was closing in, and Charles and his party made a daring break through their lines and reached Glen Shiel. It was the end of the Stuart attempt to reclaim the British throne. CULLODEN BATTLEFIELD The standard was raised for the Bonnie Prince in August at Glenfinnan, comprised mostly of destitute Scots and Irish farmers, a mix of Protestants and Catholics. Humiliated, Cumberland never served in the army again and suffered a stroke in 1760, dying five years later at the age of 44. However, the pacification of the Highlands and the channelling of Highland military prowess into the British Army largely removed any potential for a future rising in the area. Charless grandfather was the exiled Roman Catholic king James II (ruled 168588), and his father, James Edward, the Old Pretender, affected in exile the title King James III. Later a similar gift was sent to Charles's brother, Prince Henry. Much has been written about his lack of generalship and his failure to properly command an army, which comprised Irish and French soldiers, as well as the thousands of Highlanders who had won such glory at Prestonpans. In June 1745, Charles Edward Stuart (b1720) had one key aim: regaining the thrones his grandfather, the Roman Catholic convert James VII of Scotland and II of England and Ireland, had lost in 168890 to his nephew and son-in-law William of Orange (who reigned as William III). Charles eventually escaped to France and then Rome. And while Outlanders story follows Claires return to her time to protect her and Jamies unborn daughter from the bloody battle, later scenes of Jamies survival and incarceration at Ardsmuir Prison show the aftermath of Prince Charles failed attempt at the throne. Charles Edward Stuart, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, and his Jacobite army were defeated, but who was the commander-in-chief of the Hanoverian army? In his will, he left most of his money to Charlotte - the Scots who had laid their lives on the line for him and the cause he represented didn't receive a penny. Warning! There followed weeks of stravaiging about the Hebrides, Macdonald of Clanranald being the local laird who did most to help. It is not completely clear how Charles spent these months, although it appears he disguised himself as a 'Mr Sinclair', a ship-wrecked merchant, and later on as a lady, 'Betty Burke'. In addition, many Scottish Jacobites saw the return of the Stuarts as the welcome catalyst for the dismantling of the Acts of Union between Scotland and England (creating the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707). It was the start of a mass emigration which was eventually to lead to Scots becoming a powerful force in the establishment and development of the USA. Heres more on what happened after the escape that inspired Outlanders theme song. He landed with a tiny force of about a dozen men on the west coast of Scotland in July 1745 and raised the Highlands in revolt. After a few years searching for Jacobite support, Charles returned to Rome, blaming his senior commanders for the loss at Culloden. ThoughtCo. Its loss was a disaster. During the months that followed he was hunted by government forces throughout the western Highlands and Isles. The battle was the culmination of years of upheaval and political turmoil - the throne of Great Britain was at stake. After a brief period in France following a failed attempt to gain support, Prince Charles landed in Scotland on 25 July 1745. He finally died in Rome in 1788, with the last rites performed by his brother Henry, the Cardinal Duke of York. Who fought, and why they fought, is complicated - a vast web of allegiances and loyalties. The army marched south through the autumn, taking Edinburgh in early September. The plot worked - the pair were very nearly seized by troops during their journey, but managed to escape without further incident. After he settled in Italy in 1766 the major Roman Catholic powers repudiated his title to the British throne. Bonnie Prince Charlie's escape to the Isle of Skye is one of the most famous stories in Scottish history, with the scene shown in Outlander season 6, episode 5 leading to the historic ballad "Over the Seas to Skye" (a version of which has been the Outlander theme song since the Starz series' inception). They were forced to retreat back to Scotland, after receiving reports of overwhelming armies prepared to defend the city. When Prince Charles escaped from the battlefield at Culloden, he left almost all his personal possessions behind. Five years later Charles' brother, Henry Benedict, was born on 6 March 1725. Charles Edward Stuart hid in the Outer Hebrides from 27th April 1746 till he left "Over the sea to Skye" with Flora MacDonald on 28th June 1746 Who died at Culloden? It now included many Lowland gentlemen, such as Lord Elcho, and Lowland tradesmen. The prince never did come back again, at least to Scotland. Our online database contains a selection of the 12 million objects and specimens in our collections. All Rights Reserved. For the first time, Bonnie Prince Charlie's arduous escape of 1746 has been recreated in a single journey. Another French ship, the Hardi Mendiant, also missed him, as Charles had already made the perilous journey across the Minch.