Charles Edward Stuart

Charles Edward Stuart, born on 31st December 1720 in Rome and died on 31st January 1788 in Rome, was son of the Scottish King James II. (James Francis Edward Stuart) who was overthrown by the the English Parliament because he had tried to push through Jacobite ideas as e.g. Catholicism. Charles was an asserter of the Jacobite movement in Britain as well. Since he had a high reputation at the female part of the Scottish society he was called "Bonnie Prince Charlie". His followers also called him Charles III., his enemies called him "The young Pretender".

Charles enjoyed the typical education of a nobleman of his time. For him the recapture of power in Scotland was a romantic adventure. He was convinced that it was the right of his family not only to ascend the Scottish but also the English throne. In August 1745 he reached the Scottish west coast and raised the family flag as a sign of a new revolt. Supported by anglophobe clans and around 5000 Highlanders he reconquered Edinburgh. With this battle the Second Jacobite Rising started.

After his victory over the English mastery he his army set out to England to regain the English crown as well. For fear of Charles' troups King George II has already prepared his escape, since supposedly 10.000 French soldiers had landed to support the campaign.

In this situation Charles slipped up: Instead of continuing to march to London he acted on clan chiefs' advice to return to Scotland to renew the military structures of his army since the French support from the South shaped up as a hoax. So the British troups, headed by the Duke of Cumberland, were able to establish a new, well-equipped army. After several battles the Scots backed up to Scotland. On the 16th April 1746 about 9000 rested English troups faced around 5000 exhausted Scots. The English troups were able to take advantage of the location at Culloden moors so that Cumberland's army was able to win the fight easily. In his name most of the Jacobites, the followers of the Stuarts, were killed or banished.

Although Charlie was defeated Cumberland was not able to catch him. Charles wandered five months through the western highlands and islands always covered by the population of the Highlands. With support of Flora MacDonald Charles first fled to the Isle of Skye and later to France. In his later days Charles returned to Rome and died at the same place in 1788.

Sources:

1. Britannica - The Online Encyclopedia: “Charles Edward Stuart”. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/107328/Charles-Edward-the-Young-Pretender [29.10.2009]

2. The official website of the British monarchy: “Prince Charles Edward”. http://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/Scottish%20Monarchs%28400ad-1603%29/TheJacobiteClaimants/PrinceCharlesEdward.aspx[29.10.2009]

3. McLynn, Frank 1988: Charles Edward Stuart: ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’: a tragedy in many acts. http://books.google.de/books?hl=de&lr=&id=UIsOAAAAQAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP11&dq=charles+edward+stuart+biography&ots=w4R_v_qOzG&sig=Ij4iNAnfffcoMit0YCmXWbROzmA#v=onepage&q=charles%20edward%20stuart%20biography&f=false