The 300th anniversary of the Jacobite Rebellions

August 10, 2015

The Battle of Culloden, Jacobite rebellions, Scottish history. Credit: The Print Collector/Alamy — The Battle of Culloden, 1746, brought an end to the Jacobite rebellions. Credit: The Print Collector/Alamy

In the 300th anniversary year of the first of the Jacobite Rebellions, here are three ways to mark this important moment in Scottish history.

The plot and cast are extraordinary: a foreigner, 52nd in line to the throne, is made King of Great Britain and Ireland, while a King over the Sea and a Bonnie Prince, who seek to regain the Crown, have their hopes dashed on a Scottish moor by a blue-blooded butcher. Add disguises, scheming and skirling bagpipes: if William Shakespeare had been around to witness the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745, he would surely have found material for a great tragedy.

This year marks the 300th anniversary of the rising known as ‘the Fifteen’ (1715–16), a dramatic outburst of Jacobite rebellion that had been brewing ever since the Glorious Revolution (1688–89) had ousted Roman Catholic King James II from the throne in favour of his daughter, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange.

Though the initial rebellion, led by supporters of the ‘Old Pretender’ James Francis Edward Stuart, son of King James II, was thwarted, it led to another rebellion by his son, Charles Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie), the ‘Young Pretender’ in 1745.

Here are three ways to mark the 300th anniversary of the Jacobite rebellions:

Visit Scone Palace

In December 1715 James Stuart set up court at Scone Palace, in Perth. This is one of Scotland’s most important stately homes and has been the seat of parliaments and the crowning place of the Kings of Scots, including Macbeth and Robert The Bruce.

Royal Edinburgh ticket, Edinburgh Bus Tours — You can enjoy 20% off entry to Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Yacht Britannia and Holyroodhouse with the Royal Edinburgh Ticket from Edinburgh Bus Tours

Visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse

It was at HM The Queen’s official residence in Scotland that James Stuart’s son, Bonnie Prince Charlie, set up court in 1745, and centuries before another famous royal, Mary, Queen of Scots, lived here between 1561 and 1567.

With the Royal Edinburgh Ticket from Edinburgh Bus Tours you can save over 20% on entry to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the capital’s other major attractions, Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Yacht Britannia.

For £49.50 for adults (£43 for concessions) and £27 for kids, you can visit all three sites, plus enjoy up to 48 hours travel on Edinburgh Bus Tours.

Go to the Glenfinnan Monument

The Glenfinnan Monument is a poignant 18-metre high memorial to the last of the Jacobite rebellions. Standing at the head of Loch Shiel, surrounded by stunning scenery, it’s a reminder of the Highland way of life that was all but extinguished following the rebellions.