Known as one of European history’s most romantic figures, the tale of Prince Bonnie Charlie teaches us a lot about loyalty and devotion.If you are familiar with the tales and stories of European history, you must have come across the name of Bonnie Prince Charlie and that his grandfather was the exiled Roman Catholic King James VII and II. But how much do you know about the Prince and his life?Prince Charles Edward Stuart, or ’the Young Pretender,’ ’the Young Chevalier’ or more commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, was the oldest son of James Francis Edward Stuart, the Old Pretender. He also claimed the throne of Great Britain as ‘Charles III’ after 1766. Bonnie Prince Charlie was born in 1720 and died at the age of 67 in 1788. He was convinced that the three kingdoms’ thrones were his birthright and aimed to defeat the Hanoverian ‘usurper’ George II through the Jacobite movement. He is famous mainly for the role he played in the 1745 uprising and followed by his escape from Scotland that made him a classic portrayal of a romantic figure of heroic failure. However, there is much more to Prince Charles Edward Stuart and his life that most of us are not familiar with. So, with that, let’s jump into the facts about Prince Charles Edward Stuart.If you are fascinated by European history and love reading about Kings and Queens, you should also try out further reads like Philip II of Spain facts and facts about Mary Queen of Scots. Bonnie Prince Charlie: Life HistoryBonnie Prince Charlie was born to James III and VIII and Maria Clementina Sobieska in 1720.On December 31, 1720, Charles was born in the Palazzo del Re. When his grandfather, James VII and II, was removed from the throne in 1688, he, along with his family and Bonnie Prince Charlie’s father, who was just six months old, went into exile. James VIII and III were highly inspired by his father, who was born and brought up in St. James’s Palace and was a great human being. Cousin King Louis XIV of France welcomed the Stuarts. After failing the 1715 rising, James Francis Stuart’s father, James VII and II, were forced into fleeing France and settling in Rome. Pope Clement XI then gifted James Francis Stuart a palace. And thus, our Prince Charles Edward Stuart was born on Roman soil.Bonnie Prince Charlie’s childhood was a privileged one, along with a younger brother, Henry Benedict, born five years later on March 6, 1725. He was born and brought up in Rome as a Catholic around British and Irish courtiers, with most of the people of the Stuart court being in exile. By the age of six, Prince Charles Edward has become fluent enough to converse in English, French, and Latin. He has also developed his music skills and efficiently learned to ride on horseback. Henry and his family lived a life with pride and dignity with a strong belief in the ‘divine right of kings.‘In Bonnie Prince Charlie’s entire life, he had only lived in Scotland and England for 14 months in pursuit of claiming the Irish, Scottish, and British throne. However, during his brief visit, he initiated a chain of events that would ultimately earn him a few pages in the history of the Stuart dynasty. Bonnie Prince Charlie’s grandfather was the ruler of England, Ireland, as James II, and Scotland, as James VII from 1685 to 1688. Several prominent Protestant parliamentarians had been concerned that King James aimed to return England to the Catholic fold when the English Parliament called on the Dutch Protestant William III and his wife, Princess Mary, to succeed him in the Revolution of 1688. Following his exile, the ‘Jacobite cause’ had risen to fight for the restoration of the Stuarts into the British throne and in Scotland, which was united by James VI and I in the year 1603, almost a century ago. This Jacobite cause reached its peak under the leadership of Charles Edward Stuart.While on his way to join Don Carlos in his struggle for the crown of Naples, Prince Charles Edward Stuart’s cousin, the Duke of Liria, stopped in Rome. Charles was chosen for Don Carlos’ expedition to Gaeta. Having been promoted to general of artillery by Don Carlos, he witnessed the French and Spanish siege, which happened to be the first war he ever experienced. After his father’s success in gaining the French government’s renewed support in 1744, Charles Edward traveled to France to lead an army of French troops to invade England. However, the invasion could never succeed because the storm shattered the invasion fleet. His father and the pope introduced Charles Edward to Italian society when he was in Rome. To complete his training as a prince and man of the world, his father, James II, and VII, sent his son on a tour of the leading Italian cities in 1737. Bonnie Prince Charlie: Known ForBonnie Prince Charlie is famously known for contributing to the 1745 Jacobite rising. He is also widely known for his defeat in the Battle of Culloden in 1746.During the year 1743, Charles Edward’s father gave him the title of Prince Regent while handing over complete authority to act in the King’s name. Charles realized that they had a lot of supporters for the Stuart cause and that the Jacobites were being represented in every European court. A few months later, Charles led a rebellion with the support of French troops to overthrow King George and take back what was theirs. On July 23, 1745, he, along with seven other companions, successfully landed in Eriskay. Upon being received properly by the clan leaders, he set out again towards the Bay of Loch nan Uamh. However, the French fleet they were heavily dependent on was scattered by an unfortunate storm. This led to the young Prince building a new army in Scotland.Many Highland clans also supported the Jacobite cause. Charles wanted to use this support from these Scottish Jacobites, which included Highland clans like Clan Sutherland, Clan Ross, Clan Grant, Clan MacKay, Clan Gunn, and others as well as Catholic leaders like James Drummond, Duke of Perth along with his brother, Lord John Drummond, to back him up for the rebellion. Initially, however, many of these clan leaders were reluctant, but soon he had Donald Cameron of Lochiel’s support and gradually found enough support to cause an insurgency. On August 19, 1745, Charles took up arms and gathered a Jacobite army to march towards Edinburgh Castle at Glenfinnan. By marching to Inverness, the British General Sir John Cope had left the south country defenseless, further helping the Jacobite army progress. Sir John Cope brought his army through the sea to Dunbar. On September 21, 1745, Charles had successfully won the Battle of Prestonpans against his army, which also happened to be the only government army in Scotland. The army’s defense against the Jacobite army was later immortalized in the song ‘Johnnie Cope.’ Charles then started marching towards the south with approximately 6,000 men by November. After capturing Carlisle, the Jacobite army progressed to Swarkestone Bridge in Derbyshire. However, despite Charles’ opposition, his council decided that they would return to Scotland due to the insufficient support from the English and French. The Jacobites started moving to the North again and won the Battle of Falkirk Muir and decided to rest at Inverness.Even after General Lord George Murray advised not to fight on the flat, open, marshy ground because of how his forces might be exposed to government firepower, Charles decided to ignore the advice and marched on to fight the battle. He led an army by commanding them from behind the lines and could not see what was happening. Charles was in hope for Cumberland’s army to make the first move and at the same time exposed his men to the British Royal artillery. When he realized the disadvantage of it, he instantly ordered an attack. However, it was too late because he was already killed before his messenger could even pass on the information. The Jacobites attacked in an unorganized manner and charged into Cumberland’s attacks. Although initially, they managed to break through the bayonets, most of them were shot down before they could reach the second line of the redcoats, and whoever survived fled the battle. The English Prince William later earned himself the title of ’the Butcher,’ from the Highlanders, through his atrocities against the Jacobites who fled. Murray then led a group of Jacobites to Ruthven to continue their rebellion, leaving Charles feeling betrayed and ultimately giving up the Jacobite cause. In his Memoir of the Rebellion 1745-1746’, James, the Chevalier de Johnstone, had recorded his personal instances of serving as Murray’s aide-de-camp and briefly as Charles’s aide-de-camp. They were later pursued by Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, who defeated them at the Battle of Culloden on April 16, 1746. After his defeat during the Battle of Culloden, he hid in the western Highlands and islands. The British army restlessly pursued him until he fled back to France with the help of Flora Macdonald and other supporters. Around 1758, the newly elected pope, Pope Clement XIII, refused to recognize Charles as a Jacobite King. By 1760, King George III took over the throne, officially bringing the Jacobite cause to an end. Charles was not the sole Stuart claimant to the throne, and after his death in 1788 from a stroke, his younger brother, Henry Benedict Stuart, officially became the Jacobite Henry IX of England and Henry I of Scotland. However, the young Stuart never pressed any claim on the thrones, unlike his father and brother. In the year 1807, upon Henry’s death, the line of the Stuarts had forever come to an end. He was buried in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City.Bonnie Prince Charlie: Battles FoughtAlthough Bonnie Prince Charlie was famous for the Battle of Culloden, he has also been a part of many other battles, the first one being the French and Spanish siege.When Bonnie Prince Charlie was just thirteen years old, he witnessed his first-ever battle in the French and Spanish siege of Gaeta in the year 1734. However, the only battle he was widely known for was during the 1745 uprising. Although a sizeable British troop defeated Charles, he has been immortalized by many through songs and verses written about them by renowned writers like Robert Louis Stevenson, who rewrote Harold Boulton, 2nd Baronet’s original lyrics for ‘The Skye Boat Song,’ talking of his bravery. The Battle of Culloden lasted only around 40 minutes, with the Jacobite’s defeat and Charles’ escape. The British troops outnumbered the Jacobites. Imagine approximately 5,000 weak and starving Highlanders and 1,000 of whom were killed by about 9,000 British soldiers. The real British shot which gave them many advantages was the opening cannonade and unique tactics. The Highlanders somehow escaped, and around another 1,000 Jacobites were killed during the following weeks. The Battle of Culloden marked the end of the Stuart Dynasty’s claim to the British throne. According to witnesses of the 1745 uprising, Charles was also known to speak English or broad Scots very well.Bonnie Prince Charlie: Full NameAlthough famously referred to as Bonnie Prince Charlie, he only got this name later in his life.Okay, honestly, you have to be ready to listen to his real name. Bonnie Prince Charlie was born as Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart. Well, we are sure you can guess at least one of the reasons he was nicknamed Bonnie. Prince Charles was popularly known as ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ due to his charm and boyish looks. Can you guess how tall he might have been? Bonnie Prince Charlie was around 5 ft 5 in-5 ft 8 in (165.09-172.72 cm). He was also known to his followers and the common people as ’the Young Pretender’ and ’the Young Chevalier.’ Although Bonnie Prince Charlie lost reaching his ultimate goal in life, he will forever be remembered for his fierce leadership that led to an almost successful rebellion. Charles died from a stroke in 1788 and shortly was followed by the death of his daughter Charlotte Stuart in 1789. Charles had earlier also lost his son in the year 1749. With Henry Benedict’s death, the Stuart dynasty has become extinct, closing an important part of Scottish history. The Stuart Family now lie peacefully in Rome at the St. Peter’s Basilica.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! 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Known as one of European history’s most romantic figures, the tale of Prince Bonnie Charlie teaches us a lot about loyalty and devotion.
