Jacobites

The Jacobites were one of the worst disasters to ever befall Scotland... Discuss.

------------------
The man o' independent mind,
He looks an' laughs at a' that.

[Wendist]

Hello Neil

Forgive an ignorant foreigner for asking, but what exactly is a Jacobite?

Regards Thomas

[Willy]

Thomas,
The first Jacobites, (mainly Catholic Highlanders), were supporters of James II of England, (James VII of Scotland), who was deposed by the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688. With Protestant William of Orange on the throne, the Jacobites supported the Stuart monarchy which led to uprisings in 1715 & 1745. In 1746 the Battle of Culloden with Bonnie Prince Charlie at the helm lead to their defeat by nearly 9,000 Hanoverian troops and saw the end of the Jacobite hopes, (which led to the end of the clan system and the suppression of Highland culture for over a century).

I hope that helps, it's just a very short synopsis. Neil is much more the expert in Scottish history than am I.

[Wendist]

Thank you Willy, I appreciate the effort.
There is a lot of holes to fill, as far as my knowledge of Scotland is concerned, so every bit helps.

Thomas

You can look at it another way too Neil. If the Stuarts had "only" been interested in securing the throne of Scotland and not all of England, would the Jacobites have been more successful in their backing of the throne?
Then again, what kind of king would Bonnie Prince Charlie have made?

------------------
Gaol, Dilseachd, Cairdeas

[This message has been edited by Becca (edited 08 June 2000).]

The point is that the leaders of the Jacobites used Scots, particularly Highlanders, to try to achieve their ambition of regaining the thrones of the 3 kingdoms (Scotland, England & Ireland). From that day to this is has been portrayed as some sort of Scottish national disaster when the truth is that more Scots were probably opposed to the Jacobites than were for them.

When Queen Elizabeth of England died in 1603, King James VI of Scots couldn't move to London fast enough. From then on until the English booted them out there was hardly ever a sighting of a Stuart monarch in Scotland. The Stuarts used Scotland to get what they really wanted; England.

After their rash adventure in 1745/46, the anti-Scottish measure enacted by the British parliament destroyed the whole way of life in the Highlands and led to a terrible depopulation which today would be termed ethnic cleansing.

------------------
The man o' independent mind,
He looks an' laughs at a' that.

[MichaelCollins]

HI NEIL!

how are you? i dont really know about this topic so i wont talk... but i bet you are wrong! hahaha
just joking
good luck,
Luciano

------------------
buscando la verdad...