Scottish Blog

The Battle of Culloden has changed and influenced the nature of Scottish Clans and their members, whether they understand how or not. Many events over time, within Scotland and outside it have shaped who the Scots are today. It is a grave undertaking to try and understand a concise list of these, but knowing of a few of the more important ones is almost essential.

Simply put, the Battle of Culloden was the end of the second Jacobite Uprising of 1745. It took place on the 16th of April 1746. The battle was fought between the forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie who commanded the Jacobite army, and William Augustus who commanded the Scottish Royal army.

The Jacobite Uprising of 1745, was an attempt by the Bonnie Prince Charlie to restore his father Charles Edward Stuart to the throne of Scotland. Almost three quarters of the army commanded by the Bonnie Prince at the Battle of Culloden consisted of Highland Scots. For the most part, the Royal army was made up of Lowland Scot. For this reason, many that are lightly acquainted with the Battle of Culloden believe it to be a plain battle of Highlands and Lowlands, with no further implications.

The Battle of Culloden took place near the town of Nairn. From the beginning the side of the Jacobites was at a disadvantage, their troops were starved and exhausted. Further, the troops of the Bonnie Prince Charlie were positioned before a swampy marsh. This had the effect of not allowing the Jacobites to perform the type of charge that the Highlanders were famous for.

Once the battle began in earnest, on the 16th, the Jacobite army took severe damages from the government artillery. From the beginning of the retaliation the Jacobite army was already damaged, to add to this their organisation was poor. Upon their charge, the swamp resulted in the army arriving in pieces and not as one, at which time the newly issued government bayonets destroyed those battalions which managed to arrive at the government lines.

The Battle of Culloden was essentially lost for the Bonnie Prince Charlie, although he managed to escape. All Highlanders who were injured or caught in battle were killed after the battle. The Battle of Culloden dealt a strong blow to the psyche of all Highlanders of the time. This was further heightened by the laws passed which were imposed on the Highlanders, of which one was the banning of wearing tartans.

Although, it does not seem a proud moment for the history of the Highlands, the Battle of Culloden is an important event for one to be familiar with. It had an immense effect in the shaping of who a modern Scot is. This effect will not be recognised by most, but the political backlash against the Highlanders resulted in a decline of the traditional Clan system and an enforcement of the power of the Scottish monarch and government.