Who were the Jacobites?
Jacobite comes from the Latin word 'Jacobus' for James. The Jacobites were rebels who wanted to return a Stuart king to the British throne. They came from England and Scotland, and from both religious faiths. Often, members of the same family ended up on different sides.
Confusing times
The Jacobite cause was supported by different people for different reasons;
- Many considered the Stuarts to be the true kings of Britain. William of Orange was Dutch. But he was married to James II's daughter Mary.
- After the Union of the Parliaments in 1707, many Scots were angry at losing their own parliament and they joined the Jacobite cause.
- The Catholic kings of Spain and France wanted a Catholic king in Britain as well. They also wanted to keep the British troops busy with civil war so they could attack British shipping and the colonies.
Most of the country north of the River Tay supported James. In 1689 John Graham Claverhouse (Bonnie Dundee) raised the Stuart flag on Dundee Law. He had huge support from the Highland clans and defeated a government army at the Pass of Killiecrankie, but he died from his wounds. King William ordered the massacre of the MacDonalds of Glencoe as a warning to other rebels.
Bobbing John
In 1715, a second rebellion was led by the Earl of Mar - nicknamed 'Bobbing John' because he had changed sides. He was not a good general and, when the armies met at Sheriffmuir, neither side won even though the Jacobites had four times as many soldiers as the government.
The Young Pretender
Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) was the son of James the 'Old Pretender'. He was raised in France and, in July 1745, he set foot on Scottish soil for the first time. He raised his flag at Glenfinnan on 19 August and slowly gathered an army together.
His campaign to claim the British throne led him to Culloden, and a battle which would change the course of Scotland's history.
An Evil Fate
The Jacobite rebellion was crushed at the Battle of Culloden.
The rebels were punished but the Highland clans suffered the most. Their homes were burned and their belongings taken. They were not allowed to wear tartan - which identified their clan - or play the bagpipes. Many were sent to the British colonies to work on plantations. Their old way of life was destroyed forever.
Bonnie Prince Charlie escaped back to France but he never saw Scotland again.
Q: Why do you think the Government banned tartan and bagpipes?
The Massacre of Glencoe
King 
William ordered the Scottish clans to swear loyalty to him by New Year's Day 1692. The clan chief of the MacDonalds of Glencoe was late in doing so, and the government decided to make an example of him. The MacDonalds were brutally murdered as they slept by those they had given shelter to - the Duke of Argyll's men led by Captain Robert Campbell.
The Raising of the Standard and Glenfinnan
When the Prince arrived at Glenfinnan, a flag bearing his emblem was raised, and the Jacobites named Charles's father as their rightful king.
The White Cockade
The Jacobites wore this badge to show their support for Bonnie Prince Charlie. Made from bows of white ribbon, it was meant to look like a white rose plucked by Charlie on the march from Glenfinnan.
General Wade - roads and garrisons
To keep law and order, General George Wade ordered the building of 260 miles of roads and 40 bridges. Troops could now reach more isolated parts of the Scottish Highlands. Many of these roads and bridges are still used today.
Q: Which main route north is a Wade road?
Soldier's Leap
Soldier's Leap at Killiecrankie marks the spot where a government soldier is said to have jumped for his life across the steep ravine.
George I
George was the son of James II's cousin Sophia, who had married a German prince. He was Prince of Hanover in Germany, and so became the first of the Hanoverian kings of Great Britain.
Civil War
War between different sides within the same country, or countries ruled by the same king or government
Pretender
A pretender is someone making a claim to the throne.