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BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE
         The British Isles had been in a turmoil ever since the so-called "Glorious Revolution" which deposed the lawful monarch, King James VII of Scotland and II of England and replaced him with the Dutch Prince of Orange who became King William III. The troubles became even worse after Queen Anne died with no heir and the throne was passed to a distant cousin, George, Elector of Hannover, who became King George I. In a way, Britain was paying the price for the extreme arrogance and hatred of all foreigners first encouraged during the reign of Henry VIII. Had it not been for the fact that since 1688 the Parliament held final power, it is doubtful that most Britons would have ever accepted a German monarch who was not very likeable, quite immoral and who could barely speak English. Yet, Parliament did have final say and it was those who above all wanted a king who was submissive and Protestant who mattered. The Stuarts, who were Catholic, legitimate (meaning they owed their throne to God and not political cronies) and believed in true constitutional monarchy with checks and balances -they simply would not do.
          Enough widespread discontent did exist for a number of efforts to overthrow first the Prince of Orange and later the Hanoverian kings. King James II made the first effort himself in Ireland but to no avail. The next was made by his son, King James VIII & III to his supporters, in 1715. Again, it ended in failure, but the King promised his loyal subjects that he would come again to drive out George of Hannover, restore the Stuarts and set Great Britain free. The keeping of that promise eventually fell to his son, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, later known as "Bonnie Prince Charlie". An agreement was arranged with King Louis XV of France to supply money, ships and 10,000 French troops to accompany "Royal Charlie" to Scotland, where he would rally the loyal Highland clans and march on London to overthrow King George II and restore the Stuarts. The Catholic areas of northern England were also expected to provide recruits and assistance.
          However, this "Uprising of 1745" met with some serious early setbacks. No sooner had the invasion been launched than a storm struck, destroying or scattering the ships, at which point King Louis lost his nerve and recalled the 10,000 French troops. Nevertheless, Prince Charles decided to press on with his handful of attendants and pile of gold to Scotland where he landed on July 23, 1745 at Eriskay. He then summoned the highland chiefs to a meeting, asking for their support to restore the House of Stuart. At first, the reception was somewhat lacklustre when it was learned that there were no French troops and no fleet, simply the Prince and seven men. Nevertheless, honor had to be fulfilled and on August 19th the Royal Standard was raised and King James III was proclaimed with Prince Charles as regent acting in his place (as he had been appointed in 1743). Crucial support came from chieftan Donald Cameron of Lochiel and with an army of 2,000 highland Scots they marched on captured Edinburgh.
         The first major battle came at Prestonpans where Charles faced the Hanoverian general Sir John Cope, the military commander in Scotland. The Hanoverians were overconfident and expected the Jacobite army, most of whom had no muskets, to give them little trouble. Yet, in a stunning surprise attack at dawn on September 21, Charles' men charged wildly and in a battle lasting about 5 minutes totally routed Cope and his men. With this battle, the Jacobite loyalists across Britain began to consider that "Bonnie Prince Charlie" might be successful, and it also prompted King George II to get serious about crushing this threat to his rule of Britain. Charles still had promises of support from the French, who were assembling an invasion force and Dunkirk and assurances of new recruits from the English Jacobites. Encouraged by this, and prodding on his reluctant general Lord George Murray, the Jacobite army crossed the border into England and headed for London.
          Unfortunately, the promised help from the French never materialized and though some support was given from northern England, many across Britain still remained aloof, fearful of Hanoverian retaliation if Charles did not succeed. Even in Scotland only about roughly 1/3 of the people supported Charles (mostly highlanders) while 1/3 took no action and another 1/3 (mostly lowland Scots) were on the side of the Hanoverians, seeing them as "better for business" and more favorable to the merchant class. Nonetheless, the Jacobites succeeded by skillful manoeuver to avoid being trapped by the thousands of Hanoverian troops converging on them under General Hawley, Marshal Wade, King George II and his son the Duke of Cumberland. By the end of the year Charles had reached Derby, only about 100miles from London. The Hanoverians were in an absolute panic and George II was packing his things and preparing for a possible flight back to Hannover if London was taken. But, at this crucial point, General Murray and the chieftains lost their nerve. Over the Prince's strong objections they ordered a retreat back to Scotland, declaring the capture of London an impossibility.