Believing the British throne to be his birthright, Charles Edward Stuart, aka 'Bonnie Prince Charlie', planned to invade Great Britain along with his Jacobite followers and remove the Hanoverian 'usurper' George II. Above: Framed, coloured print of the Battle of Culloden, published by Laurie and Whittle, 1797. Editors' Code of Practice. His audacious or reckless plan was to gain a foothold in the western Highlands, rally support en route south, meet up with a French invasion force at London and remove the Hanoverian usurper George II (reigned 172760). The pair had no children, leaving Charles without an heir, though he did have one illegitimate daughter, Charlotte. While Charles was on his way back to France and then on the exile in Rome, the British forces in the Highlands were busy. During the 1745 uprising, Charless small inner circle of chief confidants included two Irishmen, his former tutor in Rome, Sir Thomas Sheridan, and the Jacobite armys adjutant general (senior administrative officer) and quarter-master general (senior supplies officer), Colonel John William OSullivan. Had Prince Charles Edward Stuart and the Jacobites won the Battle of Culloden, then he might have listened to those many advisers who had urged him to stay in Edinburgh the previous year and proclaim the end of the Union. Anti-unionism and Scottish independence was a strong component of support for Jacobitism in Scotland in the early 18th century.. If we go along with the generally accepted figure of 1200 Jacobite dead on the battlefield of Culloden, then it seems that double that number of battle survivors later died at British hands. Their influence over the prince rankled with some of the Scottish commanders, such as Lords George and Elcho, as the Scotsmen believed they, the Irish, had little to lose but their lives. Flora had been arrested for her part in helping Charles and taken to London, but she had been freed under the terms of a general amnesty and returned to Skye three years later. They took shelter in a hut and shot a cow to feed themselves, Charles insisting on paying the owner later. It makes very sad reading: Alas, I see with grief, at present I can do little for you on this side of the water, and for the only thing that can now be done is to defend yourselves till the French assist you. And while Outlanders story follows Claires return to her time to protect her and Jamies unborn daughter from the bloody battle, later scenes of Jamies survival and incarceration at Ardsmuir Prison show the aftermath of Prince Charles failed attempt at the throne. The Isle of Eriskay was the first place where he set foot on Scottish soil and is where he started his campaign. Highland dress was banned except that worn by regiments of the British army serving abroad, and anyone found wearing tartan illegally could be slaughtered. On the evening of June 28, Flora and five boatmen got Charles over the Minch to Skye.
