Jacobite

Jacobite refers to supporters of James II of England and VII of Scotland and their descendants who sought to restore the House of Stuart to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The term derives from Latin Jacobus (James). The movement spanned political, religious, and military efforts and persisted across Britain, Ireland, and parts of continental Europe, at times centered around the exiled court in places such as Saint-Germain-en-Laye and later Rome.

Support for the Jacobites came from various groups, including Highland clans, many Irish Catholics, and some Tories, all united by a dynastic claim rather than a single policy program. The movement produced several major uprisings: 1689–1692 in Scotland and Ireland, 1715 after the accession of George I, and the 1745–1746 rising led by Charles Edward Stuart, known as the Young Pretender. The 1745 uprising achieved early successes but culminated in defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. In the aftermath, the British government implemented measures to dismantle Highland power and integrate Scotland more fully into the United Kingdom.

Following Culloden, the Jacobite cause lost its viability as a political threat, although the Stuarts remained as exiled claimants for some time. In later periods the term also took on cultural connotations, associated with traditional Highland culture, literature, and songs, rather than an active political movement. The Jacobite era is typically treated as a historical chapter in the broader context of British and Irish dynastic politics.