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© Copyright 1998, Jim Loy
In 1688, the Catholic Stuart Kings of England were ousted. And in 1714 George I of the House of Hanover ruled Great Britain. In 1715, a revolt, led by James Edward Stuart, failed. In 1745, Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charles) started a revolt, designed to gain the throne for his father, James Edward. He marched from Scotland into England, hoping to gather support from all of Scotland and England. His support turned out to be insufficient, mainly the Catholic Highlanders (Jacobites). His army was chased to northern Scotland, where the battle of Culloden Moor took place.
Charles' opponent was William, Duke of Cumberland. The Highlanders were armed with muskets and swords. Their enemy, English and Protestant Scots, were armed with muskets with bayonets, and they had artillery. The two sides essentially faced each other and fired at each other, while royal troops (Campbells) broke down rock walls to outflank the Highlanders. The Highlanders lost, and Charles fled from the country.
After the battle, Cumberland had the Scottish wounded, and many of the other prisoners (including spectators), shot. He became known as the Butcher. Some prisoners were taken to England to be executed. And some were sold into slavery in America. It became punishable by imprisonment or death to speak Gaelic, play the bagpipes, own weapons, or wear a tartan.
Note: I read that Gaelic is the native language of Scotland, not Ireland (Irish is the language of Ireland). But, I have also read (in more than one book) that there are two Gaelics, Scottish and Irish.