Jacobites’ Anti-Unionism in the Eighteenth Century: A Threat to the Union between England and Scotland

Abstract

Objectives: This article examines the Jacobite threat to the political stability of Great Britain during the first half of the eighteenth century. It focusses on the Scots’ opposition towards the Union between England and Scotland, which was the main driving force behind the Jacobite movement.

Methods: The study was conducted through a review of secondary sources including books and articles relating to the Jacobites and histories of England and Scotland during the late seventeenth century to the mid-eighteenth century. The aim was to put the stories of the Jacobite rebellions in the context of England and Scotland’s political development since the creation of Great Britain, particularly the notion of anti-unionism among the Scottish Jacobites, which posed a serious threat to the unity and the stability of the Union.

Results: The notion of anti-unionism among the Scots was the dynamic force behind the Jacobite movement, leading to the two biggest uprisings, in 1715 and 1745, which put the unity of Great Britain under threat. However, all of the Jacobite uprisings ended in failure and by the mid-eighteenth century, the benefits of the Union, particularly Scotland’s economic prosperity, became significant. The Scots opposition to the Union then declined, while the Jacobite movement withered away and could no longer pose any threat to the stability of Great Britain.

Application of this study: The study demonstrates the policy that the British government used to suppress the rebels in the aftermath of the last Jacobite uprising in 1745. Scotland’s economic prosperity since the mid-eighteenth century was one of the most important factors contributing to the decline of the Jacobite movement. The current Scottish independence movement has created a new challenge to the unity of Great Britain, its greatest since the last Jacobite uprising. Considering that Great Britain no longer has an overseas empire and is not part of the European Union’s single market, it remains to be seen what benefits Great Britain will use to convince the Scots of the importance of the Union between England and Scotland.