Prince Charles Edward Stuart
Prince of Wales (Jacobite claimant)
"I am come home, sir, and I will entertain no notion at all of returning to that country from which I came."
Biography
The grandson of James II and claimant to the British throne, Bonnie Prince Charlie was directly enabled by France's war with Britain. French support — ships, money, and Irish Brigade troops — backed his 1745 landing in Scotland. The rising nearly succeeded: he reached Derby before his council forced retreat. Culloden ended it in April 1746, and France's support evaporated at Aix-la-Chapelle. He spent the rest of his life in melancholy exile. His campaign absorbed British military resources that might otherwise have reinforced Cumberland in Flanders.
Did you know?
After Culloden, Charles evaded British pursuit for five months in the Scottish Highlands with a £30,000 price on his head — and not a single Highlander betrayed him, despite the reward being worth millions today
Key Battles
Battle of Fontenoy
Prussia / France / Bavaria victoryMay 11, 1745 · 22,000 total casualties
Fontenoy was the greatest French military triumph of the 18th century and made Maurice de Saxe a legend. The Irish Brigade's charge — 'Cuimhnigí ar Luimneach agus ar fheall na Sasanach' (Remember Limerick and Saxon treachery) — became a defining moment of Irish diaspora history. France took Ghent, Bruges, and Oudenaarde within weeks.
Life Journey
Timeline
December 31, 1720
🌅 Birth
Born in Rome at the Palazzo Muti, Jacobite court in exile
July 23, 1745
📍 Posting
Lands at Eriskay in the Hebrides with the 'Seven Men of Moidart'
September 17, 1745
📍 Posting
Enters Edinburgh in triumph; holds court at Holyrood
December 4, 1745
📍 Posting
Reaches Derby — closest point to London; council forces retreat north
April 16, 1746
⚔️ Battle
Battle of Culloden — Jacobite rising destroyed in under an hour
January 31, 1788
✝️ Death
Dies in Rome, broken by decades of exile and alcoholism