The Stuart cause and the Hanoverian succession — from Killiecrankie to Culloden.
The Jacobite Risings were a series of armed attempts to restore the Stuart dynasty to the British throne following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Beginning with Viscount Dundee's victory at Killiecrankie in 1689 and ending at Culloden in April 1746, the conflicts were centred in Scotland but extended into England and Ireland. Culloden — the last pitched battle fought on British soil — ended the Stuart cause and led to the systematic suppression of Highland culture.
410 battles and skirmishes are recorded in this period. A selection of the most significant are shown below — use the full battlefield directory to search and filter all of them.
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings (1689–1746) aimed at restoring the Stuart dynasty — deposed in the Glorious Revolution — to the British throne. The major risings were in 1689–90, 1715, 1719, and 1745–46, all centred primarily in Scotland.
The Battle of Culloden (16 April 1746) was the last pitched battle fought on British soil. The Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart ('Bonnie Prince Charlie') was decisively defeated by the Duke of Cumberland's Hanoverian forces in under an hour. It ended the '45 Rising and the Stuart cause permanently.
The Battle of Prestonpans (21 September 1745) was the Jacobites' greatest victory during the '45 Rising. Charles Edward Stuart's Highland army routed a government force under Sir John Cope in under ten minutes, giving the Jacobites control of much of Scotland.
The Jacobite Risings failed due to a combination of limited French military support, insufficient recruitment in England, strategic errors during the '45 advance into England, and the overwhelming military superiority of the Hanoverian army at Culloden. The subsequent Highland clearances and repression eliminated the social base of Jacobite resistance.