1715: The Great Jacobite Rebellion

by Daniel Szechi

Lacking the romantic imagery of the 1745 uprising of supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 has received far less attention from scholars. Yet the ’15, just eight years after the union of England and Scotland, was in fact a more significant threat to the British state. This book is the first thorough account of the Jacobite rebellion that might have killed the Act of Union in its infancy.

Drawing on a substantial range of fresh primary resources in England, Scotland, and France, Daniel Szechi analyzes not only large and dramatic moments of the rebellion but also the smaller risings that took place throughout Scotland and northern England. He examines the complex reasons that led some men to rebel and others to stay at home, and he reappraises the economic, religious, social, and political circumstances that precipitated a Jacobite rising. Shedding new light on the inner world of the Jacobites, Szechi reveals the surprising significance of their widely supported but ultimately doomed rebellion.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

351 pages, Hardcover

First published May 11, 2006

Reviews

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a socio-political look at the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 and its surrounding context(s) both before and after. It is admittedly a very narrow topic and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't specialize in the history of rebellions, Jacobinism, etc. But it became more interesting to me as I read. Apparently, for instance, Scottish Jacobites were almost entirely Protestant where the reverse was true in England and Ireland. Szechi draws out the significance of the social and political differences among the three as they are reflected in the events before, during and after the 1715 rebellion.