The Battle of Culloden (/kəˈlɒdən/;[4] Scottish Gaelic: Blàr Chùil Lodair) was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart were decisively defeated by Hanoverian forces commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.
Queen Anne, the last monarch of the House of Stuart, died in 1714, with no living children. Under the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701, she was succeeded by her second cousin George I of the House of Hanover, who was a descendant of the Stuarts through his maternal grandmother, Elizabeth, a daughter of James VI and I.
Raising an army consisting mostly of Scottish clansmen along with smaller units of Irish and Englishmen from the Manchester Regiment, Charles’ efforts initially met with success and at one point began to threaten London. However, a series of events forced the army’s return to Scotland, where they were soon pursued by an army raised by the Duke of Cumberland. The two forces eventually met at Culloden, on terrain that made the highland charge difficult and gave the larger and well-armed British forces the advantage. The battle lasted only an hour, with the Jacobites suffering a bloody defeat. Between 1,500 and 2,000 Jacobites were killed or wounded in the brief battle.[2][3] In contrast, only about 300 government soldiers were killed or wounded.[2]
The Hanoverian victory at Culloden halted the Jacobite intent to overthrow the House of Hanover and restore the House of Stuart to the British throne; Charles Stuart never again tried to challenge Hanoverian power in Great Britain. The conflict was the last pitched battle fought on British soil.[5]
The battle and its aftermath continue to arouse strong feelings: the University of Glasgow awarded the Duke of Cumberland an honorary doctorate, but many modern commentators allege that the aftermath of the battle and subsequent crackdown on Jacobitism were brutal, and earned Cumberland the sobriquet “Butcher”. Efforts were subsequently made to further integrate the comparatively wild Scottish Highlands into the Kingdom of Great Britain; civil penalties were introduced to weaken Gaelic culture and undermine the Scottish clan system.
© 2026 – SoulSequel
9 responses to “On this day in history…April 16th, 1746”
We hung the flag of Scotland in honor of the Battle of Culloden.
Immortal Pirate wears the Stuart kilt and stands defending the flag from the homeowners Association (who might fine us for flying the flag in our front yard.)
Well,……. he’s a Pirate!
@ladybarbara
You ARE in AZ! All the yards look the same and houses are the same colors of tans and browns. Sans flag though. Viva Scotland!
@Santa Bunny Yes. The Homeowner’s Association will complain that we have something different in our yard today. All the houses and yards must look uniform, or there are stiff fines to pay.
Hundreds gather on Culloden Moore to commemorate the Battle for Culloden.
Remembering those who fought for Scotland…
Standing up…Screw the H.O.A.
The kilt! Thanks for the history lesson, and hopefully the HOA will let this one slide.
@mamajoy My man goes to “Pirate” days and dresses like a pirate. He does it first class in the best outfits.So, I dress like a pirate, too. Then we watched “Outlander” and he announced his Scottish bloodline to Cumming clan. OK, I admit, (Cumming) I was rolling with laughter. Then I find he is serious. He is collecting kilts and wearing them anytime and to anywhere. Almost living in them. I try to dress Scottish to blend with him. Today he hung the flag of Scotland on our front porch. He dressed in a Stuart kilt, because that bloodline is Stuart, as well. The flag began to whip in the wind and got caught. He announced that he was going to get the grabbers. (The long handled pinchy-grabber thing — to pull the flag free.) I thought he said that he was going to be a crabber. My reaction was, OK, now were going to be Crabbers — like Deadliest Catch. I’m getting used to this. Thank goodness he didn’t mean he wanted to be a Crabber. I breathed a sigh of relief as he used the pincher-grabbers to free the flag. I would look stupid wearing one of those raincoats, fishing pants, rain boots, and crabber hats.
@ladybarbara Good for you guys. Sounds like a trip back in time.