Charles Edward Stewart Biography and Timeline

Birth of the Young Pretender

Birth of the "Young Pretender", son of James Edward "the Old Pretender", son of the exiled Stuart King James VII and II, and Maria Clementina Sobieska, the granddaughter of John III Sobieski

Prince Regent

Charles's father named him Prince Regent, giving him authority to act in his name

Invasion of England

Boards the du Teillay at Minden on the mouth of the Loire

Invasion of England

Intercepted by the Lion & forced to return to France with arms & ammunition

Invasion of Great Britain

Charles writes to Louis XV, saying he had been informed that England could be retaken without civil war as it was stripped of soldiers

Invasion of Great Britain

Meets Murray of Broughton at Tuileries Palace, who told him he would not get the support of more than 4,000 Highlanders and that he must drop his plans to come to Scotland, when Murray said French backing was extremely unlikely given their defensive position in

Invasion of Great Britain

Marshal de Saxe prepares a fleet of 12,000 troops to support the Jacobites. A storm ends the invasion plans of de Saxe

Role range: 1745-1746

Invasion of Great Britain

The Doutelle sails from Nantes on 22 June 1745, meeting the Elisabeth at Brittany on 4 July and then sailing together for Scotland

Invasion of England

"The Young Pretender", sets sail from Nantes to begin a Jacobite rebellion

Role range: 1745-1746

Invasion of Great Britain

Charles had hoped for support from a French fleet, but it was badly damaged by storms, and he was left to raise an army in Scotland

Role range: 1745-1746

Invasion of Great Britain

Charles raised funds to fit out two ships: the Elisabeth, an old man-of-war of 66 guns, and the Du Teillay (sometimes called Doutelle), a 16-gun privateer, which successfully land him and seven companions at Eriskay

Role range: 1745-1746

Invasion of Great Britain

The Doutelle crosses the Sound of Arisaig to Forsay, Moidart

Role range: 1745-1746

Invasion of Great Britain

The London Gazette prints the proclamation of the Lords Justices putting a pounds 30,000 bounty on the capture of Charles

Invasion of Great Britain

The Doutelle sails to Glenuig Bay and Charles travels by land from there to Kinlochmoidart

Invasion of Great Britain

Charles leaves Kinlochmoidart and the Clanranald MacDonalds helped transport Charles stores to Glenfinnan, where Charles planned a meeting of the chiefs of the clans

Invasion of Great Britain

Charles's manifesto, dated 16 May 1745, declared that he was executing his father's will by asserting his right to his ancestors' throne.

Invasion of Great Britain

The Jacobite standard is erected, a banner of red silk with a white space in the centre, the Catholic bishop Hugh MacDonald blesses the standard.

Invasion of Great Britain

The Marquis of Tullibardine read King James's declaration and commission to the assembled clans, appointing Charles as Prince Regent.

Manifesto

The Marquis of Tullibardine reads aloud the Declaration of King James to the assembled clans, James commission appointing Charles his Prince Regent, and Charles manifesto (dated 16 May 1745), In this manifesto, Charles declared he was executing the will of his father in asserting his undoubted right to the throne of his ancestors

Rebellion of Rebels in Glenfinnan

The Jacobite Royal standard is raised at Glenfinnan. 1,200 Jacobite forces gather & for the 2nd time the "old pretender" is proclaimed King

Role range: 1745-1746

Invasion of Great Britain

The Jacobite cause was still supported by many Highland clans, both Catholic and Protestant. Charles hoped for a warm welcome from these clans to start an insurgency by Jacobites throughout Britain. He raised his father's standard at Glenfinnan and gathered a force large enough to enable him to march on Edinburgh

Role range: 1745-1746

Raising of Standard

The Jacobite cause was still supported by many Highland clans, both Catholic and Protestant. Charles hoped for a warm welcome from these clans to start an insurgency by Jacobites throughout Britain. He raised his father's standard at Glenfinnan and gathered a force large enough to enable him to march on Edinburgh

Role range: 1745-1746

Siege of Edinburgh

The Jacobite cause was still supported by many Highland clans, both Catholic and Protestant. Charles hoped for a warm welcome from these clans to start an insurgency by Jacobites throughout Britain. He raised his father's standard at Glenfinnan and gathered a force large enough to enable him to march on Edinburgh

Role range: 1745-1746

Capture of Perth

Captures Perth

Role range: 1745-1746

Siege of Edinburgh

The Jacobite forces reach Edinburgh

Capture of Edinburgh

Proclaimed as James VIII but Edinburgh Castle is held by General Joshua Guest. Occupies Edinburgh & Holyrood Palace

Role range: 1745-1746

Siege of Edinburgh

After negotiations had failed, the gates of the city are left open and the Jacobites enter, Charles is met by a cheering crowd of 20,000, however, Edinburgh Castle holds out against his forces

Succession

Proclaims himself James VIII

Role range: 1745-1746

Succession

King James VIII is proclaimed as king of Scotland, and Charles as his Regent

Battle of Prestonpans

Defeats General Copes dragoons

Role range: 1745-1746

Battle of Prestonpans

The first significant conflict in the Jacobite rising of 1745. The Jacobite army loyal to James Francis Edward Stuart and led by his son Charles Edward Stuart defeated the Government army loyal to the Hanoverian George II led by Sir John Cope

Role range: 1745-1746

Battle of Prestonpans

The Battle of Prestonpans sees the rout of John Copes (commander of the British Army in Scotland) forces by the Jacobites in a Battle that lasted no longer than fifteen minutes

Battle of Prestonpans

The news of this Jacobite victory reaches London bringing with it shockwaves, Charles Yorke is amazed that Charles, despite landing almost alone in a remote corner of Scotland, could have accomplished so much in so short a space of time

Siege of Edinburgh

Against long odds, and aided by the early support of Donald Cameron of Lochiel, XIX chief of Clan Cameron, his party of ten raised an army which eventually numbered over 2,000 Scots as they marched to Glenfinnan and then to Edinburgh

Role range: 1745-1746

Siege of Edinburgh

He mounted a campaign to take Scotland and England with an eye towards reclaiming what he considered to be his father's two kingdoms (Great Britain, formally united in 1707, and Ireland).

Role range: 1745-1746

Siege of Edinburgh

With only 6,000 British troops left in England, and with the majority of those on the continent having been recently defeated, Charles Edward Stuart saw an opportunity to re-open the Jacobite Rising.

Role range: 1745-1746

Siege of Glenfinnan

Against long odds, and aided by the early support of Donald Cameron of Lochiel, XIX chief of Clan Cameron, his party of ten raised an army which eventually numbered over 2,000 Scots as they marched to Glenfinnan and then to Edinburgh

Role range: 1745-1746

Siege of Glenfinnan

He mounted a campaign to take Scotland and England with an eye towards reclaiming what he considered to be his father's two kingdoms (Great Britain, formally united in 1707, and Ireland).

Role range: 1745-1746

Siege of Glenfinnan

With only 6,000 British troops left in England, and with the majority of those on the continent having been recently defeated, Charles Edward Stuart saw an opportunity to re-open the Jacobite Rising.

Role range: 1745-1746

Invasion of Great Britain

The French commissioned four privateers to give the Jacobites pounds 5,000 in gold, 2,500 muskets, six light field pieces, and twelve French artillerymen under the supervision of James Grant, a Franco-Scottish lieutenant-colonel, these arrive at Montrose and Peterhead between 9 and 19 October"