JACOBITE RISINGS
The Jacobite risings, also known as the Jacobite rebellions or the War of the British Succession, were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings had the aim of returning James II of England and VII of Scotland, the last Catholic British monarch, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne of Great Britain after they had been deposed by Parliament during the Glorious Revolution. The series of conflicts takes its name Jacobitism, from Jacobus, the Latin form of James.
THE JACOBITE RISING OF 1715
In 1715, the British throne was threatened by supporters of the House of Stuart.
With a rising of James VIII‘s followers imminent, the Government arrested many leading English Jacobites. France, exhausted by years of war, seemed unlikely to play a part in supporting the cause of the ‘Old Pretender’.
Despite these setbacks, on 6 September 1715 at Braemar the Earl of Mar raised the standard of James VIII and the rising began.
Jacobites camp at Perth
The Jacobites quickly gathered large numbers of men and in September they captured Perth and established their camp.
Government forces in Scotland under the command of John Campbell, Duke of Argyll, were initially too few to seriously challenge the Jacobites.
A party of Jacobites crossed the Forth and gathered supporters from the north of England as they marched south.
James VIII arrives
James VIII’s arrival in Britain continued was anticipated by both friend and foe.
Finally James landed at Peterhead on 22 December 1715, but with no support from France who could not risk another war with Britain.
Retreat and defeat
While the Jacobite army continued to be depleted by desertion, the Government was able to bring more troops north and began to advance on Perth.
Retreating to Montrose, James knew the rising was over. He abandoned his army and sailed back to France on 4 February 1716. The Earl of Mar and a small party of high ranking Jacobites accompanied him.
Exile and punishment
Many of the Jacobite leaders in Scotland went into exile to escape charges of high treason.
Locally, due to the close ties of Scottish élite society, there was little appetite for severe punishments.
Those captured at Preston and tried in England, however, were to face jail, transportation and execution.
THE JACOBITE RISING OF 1745
The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the ’45, was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of the British Army was fighting in mainland Europe, and proved to be the last in a series of revolts that began in 1689, with major outbreaks in 1708, 1715 and 1719.
GEORGE III
England’s longest-ruling monarch before Queen Victoria, King George III (1738-1820) ascended the British throne in 1760. During his 59-year reign, he pushed through a British victory in the Seven Years’ War, led England’s successful resistance to Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, and presided over the loss of the American Revolution. After suffering intermittent bouts of acute mental illness, he spent his last decade in a fog of insanity and blindness.
George III: The American Revolution
In 1770 Lord North became prime minister, beginning a 12-year period of parliamentary stability. In 1773 he passed an act taxing tea in the colonies. The Americans complained of taxation without representation (and staged the Boston Tea Party), but North held firm with George’s backing.
The American Revolution began on April 19, 1775, with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The next year, the Declaration of Independence laid out the Americans’ case for freedom, portraying George III as an inflexible tyrant who had squandered his right to govern the colonies. In reality the situation was more complex: Parliamentary ministers, not the crown, were responsible for colonial policies, though George still had means of direct and indirect influence.
THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
The Industrial Revolution began in the 18th century, when agricultural societies became more industrialized and urban. The transcontinental railroad, the cotton gin, electricity and other inventions permanently changed society.
Speaking Countries 