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The House of Stuart had ruled Scotland from 1371 until 1603 and then ; from 1603 until the death of Queen Anne in 1714, they ruled the united crowns of England and Scotland and what became Great Britainafter the act of Union that formalized the integration of Scotland and England. However, in 1688, the removal of James II in the Glorious Revolution effectively meant that the Stuart male line succession would die out. While the revolution has often been seen as "bloodless," the reality was many people were not happy with the overthrow of the Stuartsand bloody repressions occurred, as they the Stuarts were seen as the legitimate heirs by their supporters in Scotland and England.<ref>For more on the Stuarts and the Glorious Revolution, see: </ref> Massie, A. (2013) <i>The Royal Stuarts: A History of the Family that Shaped Britain</i>. New York, St. Martin’s Griffin.

This situation led to a series of revolts by supporters of the Stuarts, many of whom came from Scotland. While upheaval occurred as early as 1688, the major rebellions were 1715 and 1745. The last rebellion was effectively ended in the battle of Culloden, which occurred near Inverness. The battle pitted the British forces led by the Duke of Cumberland, or Prince William Augustus, who was the son of George II, and the Jacobites led by Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie), the Stuart heir. George II was the second Hanoverian king who ruled after the Stuart dynasty in Great Britain. While many Protestants wanted a Protestant monarch at all costs, others saw that the Hanovarian claim on the throne was not legitimate, as they were very distantly related to the Stuarts or any royal British family. On the other hand, the Hanovarian supporters realized they had to get a monarch who not likely try to weaken Parliament's increasing role in British affairs. <ref>For more on the Jacobite rebellions, see: Barthorp, M. & Embleton, G. (1982) <i>The Jacobitic rebellions 1689-1745</i>. London, Osprey.</ref>

The Duke of Cumberland saw the battle as an opportunity to prove himself, where going into the battle he was seen by many as a weak leader particularly for his failures in the War of Austrian Succession. He had been a leading general that fought against the French and Dutch, but he suffered major defeats while fighting in Europe. Culloden gave him another chance to prove himself. Charles Stuart, on the other hand, had a privileged upbringing in Rome, but he had relatively little battlefield experience. The highland clans were the bulk of Stuart's support, while the British had a mix of English, Scottish, and German troops. The British troops were generally more professionalsprofessional, although the Jacobites also did have regular French and Irish troops, but they made only a minority of the forces. The government forces were composed of nearly 8000, with many well trained officers as well, while the Jacobites had about 7000.<ref>For more on the lead up to the battle, see: Pittock, M. (2016) <i>Culloden (Cùil Lodair): Great battles</i>. Oxford, Oxford University Press.</ref>

Stuart was advised by his military councilors to fight a guerilla war, given his disadvantage militarilymilitary disadvantages, but he ultimately did not feel this was a way a legitimate king should fight. In effect, he wanted to replicate what Henry VII did in claiming the throne for the Tutors over the last Plantagenet king. Thus, a formal, pitched battle commenced and within an hour the battle was over and the Jacobites suffered a crushing defeat, with nearly 2000 killed or wounded. The aftermath also saw bloody repressions in the highlands by the British units, as they moved to put down further potential uprisings. The Stuart heir was then chased around Scotland and the Hebrides before ultimately reaching France for permanent exile. The House of Stuart never again was able to seriously threaten to retake the crown of Britain.<ref>For more on Charles Stuart, see: McLynn, F. (2003) <i>Bonnie Prince Charlie: Charles Edward Stuart</i>. London, Pimlico.</ref>