Highlanders vs. Lowlanders
- It is important to note the distinctions between Scottish Highlanders and Scottish Lowlanders, as they played very different roles in the Jacobite Rising of 1745.
- Highlanders and Lowlanders were antagonistic towards one another for centuries. Neither viewed the other as inherently Scottish.
- Highlanders – rural, mountain people; spoke Scottish Gaelic; mostly Roman Catholic or Episcopalian; outside the constraint of state authority.
- Lowlanders – lived in urban towns and cities; spoke English; majority Protestant or Presbyterian; close ties with England.
- Most Lowlanders would not risk traveling in the Highlands – they were ignorant of Highland culture and viewed Highlanders as wild savages.
- As can be seen in the above map, Scottish Lowlanders lived in close proximity to England, which explains why they were much more assimilated into English society. Scottish Highlanders, on the other hand, were quite self-sufficient and had little reason to engage with the English or even their Lowland-born brethren. It makes sense, therefore, that the majority of the Lowlanders sided with the English government during the Jacobite Rising, whereas the majority of the Highlanders were on the side of rebellion.
The Clan System
- In order to understand how the culture of the Scottish clans influenced the politics of the Jacobite Rising of 1745, one must first understand how the clan system operated.
- The Highland clan system has been described as a “vital compromise between feudalism and tribalism.”
- Structurally, the clan system shared some basic similarities with the feudal system, but there were also key differences.
- Clan = kin group. Every person in the clan could trace their lineage back to a common ancestor.
- Each clan member was a “hereditary possessor” of the land on which they lived and labored and the framework of the clan community was rooted in this communal ownership.
- The clan chief, or laird, was primus inter pares – the representative or father of the clan.
- Moral obligations were incredibly strong within the clan, as everyone believed they had a duty to maintain the ancestral land.
- A clan’s status was determined by its number of alliances, and also by the number of a chief’s followers.
- A clan member’s honor lay in his ability to protect his land and his kin at any given moment.
- In the rural Highlands, property often took the form of cattle, which could easily be stolen if not carefully guarded and protected. Stealing cattle from within the clan or from an ally was regarded not only as a crime, but as an “act of aggression against the whole communality.”
- On the other hand, attacks on enemy clans or against Lowlanders were considered socially acceptable within the confines of the clan laws and traditions. Here we see the concept that loyalty to one’s kin was everything and that wartime skirmishes were acceptable when outsiders threatened the stability of the clan.
- Under the Roman Catholic House of Stuart, which came to power in 1371, clan chieftains were given free reign of their clans and territories without interference from the government.
The Beginnings of Unrest
- Under the rule of the Catholic House of Stuart, which came to power in Scotland in 1371, the clans were able to operate independently without much government interference.
- In 1603, James VI of Scotland became the first Stuart monarch of the “Three Kingdoms” – Scotland, Ireland, and England – under the constitutional union of the British Isles.
- In 1685, James Stuart VII was crowned king, welcoming a son and heir three years later.
- Glorious Revolution – in November 1688, James VII and his family were forced into exile when the English put the Protestant William of Orange and his wife, Mary on the throne.
- Traditionalist Highlanders were infuriated by the exile of James VII – first Jacobite uprising in Scotland in 1689.
- Though the Jacobites lost the uprising in 1689, it is important for a number of reasons:
- The term Jacobite was born. It comes from the word Jacobus, the Latinized form of James.
- In the aftermath of the rebellion, English General Hugh Mackay constructed a garrison in Scotland with the intent of "policing the Highlands."
- Mackay's actions further spurred the Jacobite cause. Highlanders were more determined than ever to restore the Stuarts to the throne and protect the autonomous way of life that had been theirs for centuries.
The Massacre of Glencoe
- In 1692, one event occurred which solidified many Highlanders' commitment to the Jacobite cause.
- William of Orange offered amnesty to the clans that had participated in the Jacobite rebellion of 1689 on the condition that they swear their loyalty to him and Mary before an official magistrate by January 1, 1692.
- The MacDonalds of Glencoe, a branch of Clan Donald, agreed to this stipulation, but a snowstorm kept their laird, Alisdair Maclain from reaching a magistrate in time.
- The government was aware of the cause of Maclain's delay, but Secretary of State Sir John Dalrymple, Master of Stair, wanted to make an example of the MacDonalds. He believed this would discourage future Jacobite uprisings.
- With the help of Clan Campbell, a longtime enemy of the MacDonalds of Glencoe and one of the few Highland clans that sided with the English government, the people of Glencoe were slaughtered.
- Clan Campbell requested lodging with the MacDonalds, who accepted with the hospitality customary to Highlanders. On the morning of February 13, 1692, however, the guests murdered 38 members of the clan in their beds, including Alisdair Maclain. They subsequently burned the property to the ground, resulting in the deaths of 40 women and children, bringing the total number of casualties to 78.
- The tragedy came to be known as the Massacre of Glencoe and it was used as a propaganda tool for the Jacobites as they recruited supporters for their cause.
- "Remember Glencoe" became a rallying cry for all branches of Clan Donald during the Jacobite Rising of 1745.
- Clan Campbell had not only betrayed the MacDonalds of Glencoe. They had betrayed a huge part of the culture of the Highland clans. They had been shown hospitality and returned it with murder and violence.