Jacobites

June 1, 2016

Many believe that we know the full story of the Scottish 1745 Jacobite rebellion: the defeated Charles Edward Stuart (1720-88), also referred to as Bonnie Prince Charlie, fleeing to France; the brutal retribution by the English victors; and the subsequent devastation of Highland culture. These events are well documented but often surrounded by romantic myth, depending upon one's political sympathies. Yet the rebellion was a turning point in British history, and behind the legend lays an intricate tale of faith, foolhardiness, and failure. Historian Riding places the Jacobite rebellion in the context of complex European politics and examines its significance for the Scots, many of whom were equivocal about the Jacobite cause. She also unflinchingly describes the consequences for those who supported the rebellion. The use of contemporary accounts, especially from women, offers a different and compelling perspective to events, resulting in a persuasive work geared toward 21st-century readers. VERDICT Even-handed, refreshingly free of jargon, and organized into short, succinct chapters focused on geographic location that make the book read like a thoroughly researched adventure story, this work will appeal to the lay reader while also being an ideal resource for a Scottish history course.--Penelope J.M. Klein, Fayetteville, NY

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 16, 2016
Riding, a specialist in 18th-century British history, relates how Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Young Pretender, tried and failed in 1745 to replicate Charles II’s restoration of the Stuart monarchy. She maintains objectivity regarding the struggle for power between the Stuarts and the Hanovers, making this work unusual among the many passionate and patriotism-tinged treatments of the oft-romanticized prince. Riding’s Charles, naive yet determined, relentlessly pushes toward London, gathering a mix of informally trained Highlanders and Lowlanders as well as a promise of French support. Throughout, Riding seamlessly incorporates journal entries, letters, and other primary sources from both major figures and the local people affected by long-hidden hopes, media-stoked fears, and ravenous armies on both sides. This incorporation of ordinary Scots reveals the mixed attitudes toward Charles’s cause. Illustrations accompanying each chapter also bolster the textual descriptions of Charles’s use of various dress styles (Highland kilts, Lowlander breeches, French trends) to show familiarity with the various groups whose support he desperately needed. Riding effectively shows why Bonnie Prince Charlie’s once-great hopes during a tumultuous and adventure-packed year in Scotland led to a crushing defeat at Culloden—and continue to inspire the romanticization of his legend centuries later. Illus. Agency: A.M. Heath & Co. Ltd. (U.K.).

April 15, 2016
Riding (Mid-Georgian Britain: 1740-69, 2010, etc.), a specialist in 18th-century British history and culture, delivers a comprehensive history of the events of the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745.During that year, Charles Edward Stuart, the Young Pretender, got tired of waiting in Rome and decided to take back the crown lost in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Depending on help from France, with no assurance whatever that it was forthcoming, Charles landed in Scotland to gather the clans he was sure would support him. The young Charles was willful, sullen, and generally uninspiring. He was naive and had no political acumen or anything even approaching military ability. In fact, he had never set foot in Scotland or England. What is most interesting about the attempt to regain the throne is how few battles were actually fought. Poor defenses, fear of the ferocious Highlanders, and a British army busy fighting in Flanders caused first Edinburgh, then Carlisle, Chester, Preston, and finally Derby to capitulate without a fight. Charles' unregimented army was made up of clans, none of whom would serve under another. The Highlanders' army moved swiftly, with little in the way of baggage or armaments--so quickly that Sir John Cope's troops couldn't catch up with them, if they could ever figure out their destination. Readers may have similar difficulties with the book's miniscule map, which proves largely useless. The return of King George II's son, the Duke of Cumberland, was the death knell for the uprising. Even with help from France trickling in, Charles' insistence on pushing on to London was doomed. They had no backup and nowhere near the support they had imagined. Most of us only know the '45 for its desperate end at Culloden, but as close as they came to success, the author definitively demonstrates that it was always unsustainable. Riding provides an exciting account of a doomed rebellion and ably explores the psyche of the fierce, devoted Highlanders.

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