How Did the Battle of Culloden Change British and American History

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The battle of Culloden occurred on April 16, 1746 and was the last pitched battle in Britain. Effectively, it defeated and put an end to a series of Jacobite uprisings that had been ongoing since the 1688 following the Glorious Revolution, which put an end to the male-line succession of the House of Stuart on the British throne. The Jacobites were a group who wanted to restore the Stuart line, who had become Catholic, and many of the supporters were Scots, particularly the highland regions of Scotland.

Background to the Battle

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 Britain. 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 Stuarts, as they were seen as the legitimate heirs in Scotland and England.

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.

The Duke of Cumberland saw the battle as an opportunity to prove himself, where often he was seen as a weak leader particularly for his failures in the War of Austrian Succession. 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 professionals, 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, while the Jacobites had about 7000.

Stuart was advised by his military councilors to fight a guerilla war, given his disadvantage militarily, but he ultimately did not feel this was a way a legitimate king should fight. Thus, the 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.

Effect of the Battle on Great Britain

Effect on North America

Summary

References