Jacobite risings were attempts to restore the exiled Stuart family to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland. There were two major Jacobite risings, in 1715 and 1745, both on behalf of James Francis Edward Stuart, son of James II. The first was led by the Earl of Mar. The second was led by James’s son, Charles Edward Stuart. Supporters of the Stuarts were called Jacobites from Jacobus, the Latin form of James.
The first major Jacobite rising occurred in 1715, when the Earl of Mar rallied the people of the Scottish Highlands to support James Francis Edward Stuart. His armies dwindled after the Battle of Sheriffmuir. At the same time, the Earl of Derwentwater led an unsuccessful revolt in England.
In 1745, Charles Edward Stuart landed in Scotland with seven followers. The Highland Scots again supported a Stuart, and they defeated an English army at the Battle of Prestonpans. Charles led an army of about 5,000 into England, but, receiving no further support, returned to Scotland and was defeated at Culloden in 1746.
Neither rising ever had a great chance of success because the main support for the Stuarts was from the poor and thinly populated Highlands of Scotland. The risings led to the repression of the Highland Scots. Other notable but smaller Jacobite risings occurred in 1689 and 1719. The Stuarts’ political enemies nicknamed James “the Old Pretender” and Charles “the Young Pretender,” while their supporters referred to James as “the King Over the Water” and Charles as “Bonnie Prince Charlie.”
