Bonnie Prince Charlie - Devil or Saint?

by John Kilgore

Was Bonnie Prince Charlie a devil who caused the death of the Scottish clan system which had lasted for many centuries, or was he a catalyst for freezing in time a rich cultural heritage, which is today, held dear by millions of expatriate Scots around the world?.

Prince Charles Edward Stuart, otherwise known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, has been the subject of much controversy over the years. Story and song have immortalized him as the last great note of Scottish independence, and his detractors are quick to note that his loss at Culloden in 1746 to the English spelled the end of the Scottish clan system as it was then known.
Charles Edward Stuart was the elder son of James who was known as the Pretender to the Scottish and English thrones. James' father was king of both Scotland and England, and was known as James VII of Scotland and James II of England. He was deposed in 1688 primarily for religious reasons. When King James was deposed, he went to Italy with his young son James and lived under the protection of the Pope.

Both King James and his son James schemed and plotted for many years to reclaim the English and the Scottish thrones. In fact, there were two abortive attempts at regaining the throne in 1689 and 1715. Prince Charles grew up in this atmosphere of scheming and plotting, and, ultimately, became the pawn of many divergent interests which culminated in the final attempt to regain the throne in 1745/46 now known as the "45".

History shows Charles to be a rather tragic figure as shown in the book, Bonnie Prince Charlie - a Biography of Charles Edward Stuart by Susan Maclean Kybett which was reviewed in an article by Gail Kilgore in the Winter 1992 edition of our newsletter. The book lays out in great detail many of the events which led to the rising of the "45" and the ultimate disaster which it became.

Following the defeat of the Scottish forces under Charles in 1746, the English imposed many strict and often cruel edicts and laws upon the Scottish people and the clan system in particular. Instruments of war such as swords, targes, and bagpipes were totally banned. The tartan, kilt, and other clothing of specifically Scottish origin were also banned. Followers of Charles who were not killed or tried and executed were forced to emigrate. Many of the Jacobites' (followers of Charles and his father James) lands and fortunes were proscribed, which meant that they reverted to the crown of England. That, in turn, caused even greater emigration.

The defeat at Culloden was also the beginning of a long tragic period in Scottish history known as the "Highland Clearances". For the next 100+ years, Scots were forced to emigrate as landowners found that it was far more profitable to run sheep on land which had previously held many farms. These farms had provided a meager, at best, living to the tenants, and minimal profits for the landlords.

This was also a period of major movement from the country to the emerging cities, and a period of new pride and inventiveness of the Scottish workers, as the Industrial Revolution got into full swing. Scots began to find that they had an innate capacity to develop new ideas, and their inventiveness has become a well-documented trait of a people who found they still had a pride which went far beyond the clan system.

During this period, Scots moved to the far corners of the world as settlers, business people, and soldiers of fortune. They intermarried with the people of many lands and many cultures. This resulted in the mixing of the rich Scottish blood with the proud blood of many other peoples around the world. Many of those other cultures have been lost or strongly modified by the advance of modern times.

Over the course of history, it would seem natural for the Scottish heritage to, also, have been lost or heavily modified as has happened with so many cultures. This has not occurred and, in fact, the Scottish culture of our ancestors has been experiencing a massive re-emergence that includes our brethren of many lands. Today, we find people around the world proud of their Scots' heritage - no matter what other heritage they may hold.

Perhaps Bonnie Prince Charlie was the catalyst for locking in time the glory of the Scotland of our ancestors to be passed down, in story and song, to a people who were forced to migrate to the ends of the earth. Is it possible that, without Charlie, our culture like so many others would have been assimilated over time to the detriment of the world?