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[[File:5346336 198ca26a.jpg|thumbnail|Figure 1. The site of where the battle took place.]]
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.
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 professional, 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 guerrilla war, given his military 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 (Figure 1). 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> [[File:5346336 198ca26a.jpg|thumbnail|Figure 1. The site of where the battle took place.]]
==Effect of the Battle on Great Britain==
