Jacobite Uprising
After the death of Charles II, his brother became James VII of Scotland and James II of England. Due to his high handed despotic policies as well as conflicts over religion, the English parliament invited his son-in-law, William of Orange, to become King of England. William of Orange accepted the invitation and arrived in November 1688, forcing James to flee the country. William became William III of England. At this time England and Scotland were two separate countries that shared only a common monarch. In Scotland it took until April 1689 for a Convention of the Estates to decide to recognize William as William II of Scotland. William’s shrewd behavior and understanding of political matters gave him an edge over the outraged, yet ineffectual, James. Those who supported the claims of James VII and tried restore him to the throne became known as Jacobites. Thus began a series of uprisings, mostly in Scotland and Ireland, which eventually led to the defeat of not only James VII, his eldest son James Francis Stewart (the Old Pretender) and his son Charles Stewart (Bonnie Prince Charlie or the Young Pretender) and their goal of reinstating their claim to the thrown, but also led to the effective destruction of Scotland as an independent state, and some would say a free people.
The First Uprising was in 1689. John Graham, Viscount of Dundee, raised a small army and won a smashing victory in July 1689 at Killiecrankie only to be killed just as the battle was won. However, at the battle of Dunkeld, the Jacobite resistance in Scotland was suppressed. In Ireland, William personally defeated the Jacobites at the Battle of the Boyne in July of 1690. James fled back to France along with over 10,000 Irishman who became known as the Wild Geese.
In 1707, England and Scotland were united (the Union) causing a great deal of dissatisfaction in Scotland. The Jacobites effectively used nationalist sentiments to win support in Scotland when in reality they were seeking to reinstate their claim to England as well as Scotland. The Second Uprising occurred in 1708, and was nothing more than an aborted invasion from France. In 1715, the Third Uprising took place. It was a bungled affair led by an unscrupulous Scottish politician, John Erskine, Earl of Mar, who ended up changing sides after he had convinced everyone to revolt. The rebellion was put down after a few sharp engagements. The son of James VII, James VIII (the Old Pretender), landed in Scotland too late to do anything, and was forced to retreat back to France. In 1719, the Fourth Uprising, involved a small number of Spanish troops which failed to bring about any active support.
It was not until 1745, that the Fifth (and last) Uprising took place. Charles Stewart (Bonnie Prince Charlie or the Young Pretender) landed in Scotland and met with mixed results. He eventually mobilized a large and well organized rebellion. The English commander General John Cope was defeated at Prestonpans, and Charles and the Jacobites took control of Scotland. They then marched into England proper with the hopes of raising the English countryside in support of their cause. Instead they were forced to retreat in the face British forces that vastly outnumbered his own. On Christmas Day the Jacobite army entered Glasgow and forced the pro-government city to re-supply them. On January 17, 1747, the Jacobites defeated another government army at Falkirk, but were unable to get any real benefit from the victory. Time was against the Jacobites. Low on supplies and without funds, the Jacobites and Charles were becoming desperate. In April 1746, against the advice of his commanders, Charles personally led his troops in a hopeless charge at Culloden. Outnumbered, half starving, and short on supplies, the Jacobites charged the cannons of the fresh and well supplied government forces. Few of the Jacobites even made it to the government lines. After the Battle of Culloden, the Jacobite cause was dead, and the Highland culture and way of life were virtually destroyed.