The Battle of Culloden
- Even the fighting style of the Jacobite army was affected by the customs of the Highlanders – they would fire against the enemy, then drop their muskets, draw their broadswords, and charge at their foe while screaming or chanting in Gaelic.
- The enemy would be so taken off guard and terrified by this Highland tactic that they would retreat immediately. This plan aided the Jacobites in their victories at the Battle of Prestonpans and the Battle of Falkirk Muir.
- These victories, however, made Bonnie Prince Charlie cocky. On April 16, 1746, he ignored his advisors and led the Jacobites to disaster at the Battle of Culloden.
- In less than an hour, more than 1,500 Highlanders lay dead or wounded, with 376 taken prisoner. The Jacobite Rising was officially crushed.
The Act of Proscription
- After Culloden, the English government wanted to ensure that the Highland Jacobites would never again rebel. This led to the passing of the Act of Proscription by Parliament, which went into effect in Scotland on August 1, 1746.
- The aim of the Act of Proscription was to assimilate the Highlanders into English society, thereby annihilating the customs and traditions that were so important to them.
- The Disarming Act forbade Highlanders to possess or carry weapons, with harsh penalties for those who broke the law.
- The Dress Act of 1746 forbade the wearing of “Highland dress,” including tartan and kilt. The penalty for breaking this law was imprisonment without bail.
- Highland children were forced to pray for the Royal family in school in order to weed out possible dissension at an early age.
The Highland Clearances
- The Highland Clearances was a period of forced displacement and migration in the Highlands – added to the devastation in the aftermath of Culloden.
- The English government began a brutal campaign of hunting down Jacobite soldiers and sympathizers – they executed or imprisoned them, burned down their homes, and slaughtered their livestock, displacing their families as a result.
- The rape of Highland women was also frequent during the Clearances.
- Many Highlanders perished from starvation and exposure.
- Others began emigrating, most frequently to the American colonies or the West Indies. This emigration continued into the 19th century.
- The Highland Clearances marked the official collapse of the clan system.