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Osprey Essential Histories #72
The Jacobite Rebellion: 1745–46
Fully illustrated with colour maps and images, this is an accessible introduction to one of history's most heavily romanticized and mythologized campaigns.
Dr Gregory Fremont-Barnes presents a detailed overview of the Forty-five Rebellion, dispelling the myths that have grown up around battles like Culloden and the figures of the Highlanders. Led by the charismatic Bonnie Prince Charlie and fought in the main by clansmen loyal to the Stuarts, the revolt initially saw government forces outmanoeuvred and outfought before the Prince's march on London halted at Derby. But the following spring, pursued back into the Highlands by the Duke of Cumberland, the Prince's army made its doomed last stand on the moor of Culloden. Fremont-Barnes examines this key turning point in British history, analysing the dynastic struggle of two royal houses, the Rebellion's manoeuvres and battles and the tragic aftermath for the Highlands.
Updated and revised for the new edition, with full-colour maps and 30 new images, this is an accessible introduction to the famous campaign which saw the Stuart dynasty's final attempt to regain the British throne, and the end of the Highland clans' way of life.
Dr Gregory Fremont-Barnes presents a detailed overview of the Forty-five Rebellion, dispelling the myths that have grown up around battles like Culloden and the figures of the Highlanders. Led by the charismatic Bonnie Prince Charlie and fought in the main by clansmen loyal to the Stuarts, the revolt initially saw government forces outmanoeuvred and outfought before the Prince's march on London halted at Derby. But the following spring, pursued back into the Highlands by the Duke of Cumberland, the Prince's army made its doomed last stand on the moor of Culloden. Fremont-Barnes examines this key turning point in British history, analysing the dynastic struggle of two royal houses, the Rebellion's manoeuvres and battles and the tragic aftermath for the Highlands.
Updated and revised for the new edition, with full-colour maps and 30 new images, this is an accessible introduction to the famous campaign which saw the Stuart dynasty's final attempt to regain the British throne, and the end of the Highland clans' way of life.
144 pages, Paperback
First published April 19, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 4, 2026
Solid summary of the causes of the war and misconceptions regarding the Jacobite cause. The maps and troop movements are well done and simple the follow. I would have liked a little longer on Culloden, but theres hundreds of other books already on that topic so maybe thats why its shorter.
Recommended if you have any interest in the period.
Recommended if you have any interest in the period.
May 18, 2025
Pretty good short narrative history of the '45. Unlike almost any other book in this series, I think this would have benefited from a few pages more on the 1689, 15 and 19 rebellions as doing so would have helped better contextualise the political side of the struggle.
September 23, 2025
This is a good shirt into to the Stuart attempt to retake the throne from the Hanovers in England. The book is short, but gives sufficient detail to make it fun. A perfect way to get to know the major players, events, and general situation,
September 12, 2024
A decent primer on a complicated and polarising period of Scottish history.
January 13, 2025
Short but informative
September 27, 2023
This is a revised and expanded edition of the 2014 title by veteran Osprey writer of British and French military history, with lavish new color maps and images situated throughout the text, plus an index, chronology, and select bibliography. In the Essential Histories vein, it is a quintessential introduction to the culminating campaign of the half century of rebellion against the Protestant crown of Great Britain. This was the last gap of both the traditional Scottish Highland way of tribal life and the deposed (1688) Stuart dynasty. Supporters of the latter were called ‘Jacobites,’ Latin for supporters of James, the French supported and last Catholic King of England and Scotland (United Kingdom after 1707).
Fremont-Barnes argues this last Jacobite rebellion, which made improbably romantic icons of Highland warriors and their leader ‘Bonnie’ Prince Charlie, was the greatest existential threat to the British state in the eighteenth century and the most tragic episode in Scottish history. An initial period of Jacobite triumph, with victory at Preston Pans and capture of Edinburgh in September 1745, was thereafter followed by a slow, inevitable decline as the full economic weight and military power of Great Britain, including many Highland and Lowland Scots, coordinated by the vindictive William (‘Stinking Billy’), Duke of Cumberland, son of King George II, pushed the largely Highland force, supported by a few French and Irish soldiers, back to the bleak slaughterhouse field of Culloden, near Inverness, in April 1746.
Cumberland with 9,000 men, including effective artillery and cavalry, decimated the rebels, mostly infantry with barely half that number, with the respective sides losing 50 killed and 70 wounded for the former and 1,500 dead and hundreds more captured for the latter. Prince Charlie made an epic escape, but only to endure a long and sad decline on the continent where he died in 1788, his family cause increasingly irrelevant. On the other hand, through the recruiting efforts of the British army and writers like Sir Walter Scott in the decades thereafter Scottish Highlanders were reinvented as intrepid guardians of the British Empire, with over 30,000 men in twenty seven regiments by 1800 (133), and, in more recent times, romantic heroes in trashy novels and television shows. This is a well written book, though occasionally marred by odd factual errors, such as stating that the 1743 Battle of Dettington was a French victory (44) or that James Edward Stuart, the father of Bonnie Prince Charlie, was the grandson and not son of King James (124).
Fremont-Barnes argues this last Jacobite rebellion, which made improbably romantic icons of Highland warriors and their leader ‘Bonnie’ Prince Charlie, was the greatest existential threat to the British state in the eighteenth century and the most tragic episode in Scottish history. An initial period of Jacobite triumph, with victory at Preston Pans and capture of Edinburgh in September 1745, was thereafter followed by a slow, inevitable decline as the full economic weight and military power of Great Britain, including many Highland and Lowland Scots, coordinated by the vindictive William (‘Stinking Billy’), Duke of Cumberland, son of King George II, pushed the largely Highland force, supported by a few French and Irish soldiers, back to the bleak slaughterhouse field of Culloden, near Inverness, in April 1746.
Cumberland with 9,000 men, including effective artillery and cavalry, decimated the rebels, mostly infantry with barely half that number, with the respective sides losing 50 killed and 70 wounded for the former and 1,500 dead and hundreds more captured for the latter. Prince Charlie made an epic escape, but only to endure a long and sad decline on the continent where he died in 1788, his family cause increasingly irrelevant. On the other hand, through the recruiting efforts of the British army and writers like Sir Walter Scott in the decades thereafter Scottish Highlanders were reinvented as intrepid guardians of the British Empire, with over 30,000 men in twenty seven regiments by 1800 (133), and, in more recent times, romantic heroes in trashy novels and television shows. This is a well written book, though occasionally marred by odd factual errors, such as stating that the 1743 Battle of Dettington was a French victory (44) or that James Edward Stuart, the father of Bonnie Prince Charlie, was the grandson and not son of King James (124).
December 26, 2019
A book in the Osprey ''Essential Histories'' series covering the '45 Rebellion. Following the standard Osprey format.
It provides good coverage of the political, military and cultural aspects of the rebellion and is written in a concise manner, giving a fair bit of information despite the small number of pages.
At the start the book provides a brief overview of the Jacobite movement and gives a rundown of previous rebellions as well as giving the political and military context of the age. It goes over the causes of the rebellions, the political state of Britain at the time and the foreign involvement in the rebellion, particularly the French invasion plans.
The military history part is standard for an Osprey book, but moves quickly in a clear and concise manner. The armies of both the Jacobites and the Government are given a brief overview and the campaign itself has plenty of clear maps to go with it. The battles of Prestonpans, Falkirk and Culloden are given more attention than the rest but are not covered in-depth by any means.
The individuals covered in more detail are Lord George Murray, one of the principal Jacobite commanders and Flora MacDonald, a civilian who helped Prince Charles escape capture after Culloden.
The aftermath covers the life of the Scottish Highlanders and the situation in Britain after the rebellion. Plenty of quotes are provided to paint a better picture of the situation but the coverage is not detailed.
A good introduction to the Jacobite risings from a mostly neutral point of view, presenting information in a concise manner. I enjoyed reading it but as I'm not that well-read on the Jacobite rebellions I will need to read more to form a clearer picture.
Final Rating: 7/10
It provides good coverage of the political, military and cultural aspects of the rebellion and is written in a concise manner, giving a fair bit of information despite the small number of pages.
At the start the book provides a brief overview of the Jacobite movement and gives a rundown of previous rebellions as well as giving the political and military context of the age. It goes over the causes of the rebellions, the political state of Britain at the time and the foreign involvement in the rebellion, particularly the French invasion plans.
The military history part is standard for an Osprey book, but moves quickly in a clear and concise manner. The armies of both the Jacobites and the Government are given a brief overview and the campaign itself has plenty of clear maps to go with it. The battles of Prestonpans, Falkirk and Culloden are given more attention than the rest but are not covered in-depth by any means.
The individuals covered in more detail are Lord George Murray, one of the principal Jacobite commanders and Flora MacDonald, a civilian who helped Prince Charles escape capture after Culloden.
The aftermath covers the life of the Scottish Highlanders and the situation in Britain after the rebellion. Plenty of quotes are provided to paint a better picture of the situation but the coverage is not detailed.
A good introduction to the Jacobite risings from a mostly neutral point of view, presenting information in a concise manner. I enjoyed reading it but as I'm not that well-read on the Jacobite rebellions I will need to read more to form a clearer picture.
Final Rating: 7/10
November 25, 2016
A rebellion from the hearts of Scotland following James' replacement on the throne of the UK. Buoyed by promises of support from France 'Bonnie' Prince Charlie lands near Skye and starts the final Jacobite Rebellion.
With insufficient support in Scotland, England or France this rebellion was perhaps always doomed to failure especially when Charles' army decided not to proceed further south than Derby.
A very good book with clear maps, explanations and easy to follow.
With insufficient support in Scotland, England or France this rebellion was perhaps always doomed to failure especially when Charles' army decided not to proceed further south than Derby.
A very good book with clear maps, explanations and easy to follow.
April 4, 2017
This is a superb short account of the famous Jacobite rebellion of 1745. I liked the attention paid to previous rebellions and Highland motivations as well as the balanced approach taken to a rebellion that is either bathed in romanticism, or condemned by the Rule Britannia crowd. Fremont-Barnes is particularly good at explaining British nostalgia for the Highlands after the rebellion, but he does not ignore the harsh reprisals taken in the aftermath of Culloden.
February 15, 2016
A clear explanation of not just the rebellion but the various odd-pairings of cross-currents that went into both sides. A highly enjoyable read.
May 1, 2023
It's interesting but brief with a lot of technical details of battles and strategy. Would have liked to have heard more about the predicament of Jacobites in England and the Scottish lowlands.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews