Culloden is a village in Highland Region of Scotland, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) east of Inverness. The town’s name in Scottish Gaelic is Cùil Lodair. The nearby moor is famous for a battle fought there in 1746 between Scottish Jacobites and Royal British forces. The Scots, under Prince Charles Edward Stuart, were defeated by the British, led by Prince William, the Duke of Cumberland. The defeat ended the second Jacobite rising and led to the repression of the Highland Scots. Supporters of the Stuarts were called Jacobites from Jacobus, the Latin form of James. The Battle of Culloden was the last major battle fought on British soil.
In 1745, Charles Edward Stuart, also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, sought to restore his family to the throne of England. His grandfather had ruled England as King James II but lost his throne in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Charles raised a Jacobite army composed mainly of Scots, but which also included Irish and French troops. In September 1745, the rebellion began in Scotland with a Jacobite victory over British troops at the Battle of Prestonpans. Charles briefly invaded England before returning to Scotland. The Jacobites won another victory at Falkirk in January 1746. A Royal British army led by the younger son of King George II, Prince William, then followed Charles into Scotland. The Royal army was mainly English, but included many Scots, Germans, and some Irish as well.
On the morning of April 16, 1746, around 5,000 Jacobite troops met about 9,000 Royal troops on what is now called Culloden Moor. The Jacobites charged the Royal lines. Some troops survived the hail of Royal cannon and musket fire to engage in bloody hand-to-hand fighting with swords and bayonets. The Jacobites were driven from the field, pursued by Royal cavalry. About 50 Royal troops died on the field and about 260 were wounded, while the Jacobites lost more than 1,000 killed during the battle. Many other Jacobites were killed or captured in the days after the battle. Prince Charles survived the battle and fled to France.
In 1881, a stone cairn (memorial made of stones) was erected to mark the site of the battle. A row of headstones called the Graves of the Clans marks the mass graves of Scottish dead. A visitor center opened on the battlefield in 2007. See also Glorious Revolution ; Highland ; Jacobite risings ; Stuart, Charles Edward .
