Jacobite rising of 1715

Jacobite rising of 1715. Also known as The Fifteen, the Jacobite rising of 1715 was a major attempt by Jacobite supporters to restore the House of Stuart to the thrones of Great Britain and Ireland. The rebellion erupted following the death of Queen Anne and the succession of the Hanoverian George I, which exacerbated deep political and religious divisions. Led by John Erskine, Earl of Mar, the rising saw significant fighting in Scotland and a brief incursion into England, but ultimately collapsed due to military defeat and poor coordination.

Background and causes

The primary cause of the rebellion was the contested succession following the Act of Settlement 1701, which bypassed the Catholic James Francis Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) in favor of the Protestant Sophia of Hanover and her son George I of Great Britain. The death of Queen Anne in August 1714 solidified the Hanoverian succession, alienating many Tories and traditionalists. In Scotland, discontent was fueled by economic hardship and the perceived negative impacts of the Acts of Union 1707. Furthermore, the Whig Junto's political dominance and the dismissal of Tory office-holders under the new reign created a pool of disaffected nobles, particularly in the Scottish Highlands, who saw the Jacobite cause as a means of redress.

The rising in Scotland

The rising was proclaimed by John Erskine, Earl of Mar at Braemar in September 1715, who raised the Jacobite standard and quickly gathered a large but undisciplined force from the Scottish clans. Key northern strongholds like Inverness and Perth were seized, with Perth becoming the Jacobite headquarters. However, Mar's leadership was often indecisive. While the main army mobilized, a separate Jacobite force under William Mackintosh of Borlum captured Edinburgh Castle's strategic outwork but failed to take the castle itself. The rebellion gained widespread support across the Scottish Highlands and the northeastern Lowlands, but lacked a coherent strategic direction from the outset.

The rising in England

The English phase was led by Thomas Forster, a Northumberland Member of Parliament, and James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater. A small force of English Jacobites from Northumberland and Lancashire joined with a contingent of Scottish troops under William Mackintosh of Borlum that had sailed from Fife. This combined army captured Preston in November 1715. However, the expected popular uprising in England failed to materialize, and the movement was largely confined to traditionally Catholic areas of the north. The Jacobites at Preston were quickly isolated by government forces under Charles Wills advancing from the south and John Carpenter from the west.

Key battles and military campaigns

The two principal military engagements were the Battle of Sheriffmuir and the Battle of Preston (1715). At Sheriffmuir in November 1715, the army of the Earl of Mar clashed indecisively with government troops commanded by John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll. Though tactically inconclusive, the battle strategically halted the Jacobite advance from Scotland. Simultaneously, at the Battle of Preston (1715), the surrounded English Jacobite army, after brief street fighting, surrendered to government forces on 14 November. This defeat effectively ended the rebellion in England and captured its primary leadership.

Aftermath and consequences

The collapse of the rising led to severe reprisals. Several leaders, including James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater and William Gordon, 6th Viscount of Kenmure, were executed at the Tower of London. The Old Pretender, who arrived too late at Peterhead in December 1715, departed from Montrose in February 1716, demoralizing his remaining supporters. The government responded with punitive measures, including the Disarming Act 1716 and the abolition of heritable jurisdictions in 1747, aiming to pacify the Scottish Highlands. The failure of The Fifteen entrenched Hanoverian rule but left underlying tensions that would erupt again in the Jacobite rising of 1745.

Category:Jacobite risings Category:1715 in Great Britain Category:Rebellions in Great Britain Category:Conflicts in 1715