5 Battle of Culloden myths debunked
#4. The battleground was badly chose
Culloden certainly wasn’t the best location but it wasn’t one that the Jacobites chose poorly. In fact, nobody actually chose this location for the battle and it just happened to be the one everyone landed on, closes to Culloden House where a number of Jacobite soldiers were still sleeping after the failed night attack (yes, that really did happen).
There were three other locations scouted for the battle, all of which had some sort of problem and would have actually been worse for the Jacobites. The best of the three was about 1km away from the actual battleground and would have been a good choice had it not been for the poor weather.
Everything ended up working against the Jacobites. It also didn’t help that the morale was low and they were running on fumes due to the poor night attack. Bonnie Prince Charlie also wasn’t the most enthusiastic leader, something that Outlander got just right.
#5. Culloden was a chance for Scotland to gain full independence
With the talk of Scottish independence, there is the view that the Battle of Culloden would have given Scotland this. However, while it would have been a different life in the country, it wouldn’t have been a total break from the Union. After all, the Stuarts still wanted to rule over all dominions.
The difference would have been in the parliaments. Scotland would have still likely kept its own parliament and had some extra authority over laws and bills. Yet things like the foreign policy and other ways of life likely wouldn’t have been different.
In fact, there’s a chance that Scotland would have been more like Canada during the late 18th and the 19th centuries, gaining some sort of independence but still being under the British control. Eventually, it may have become part of the Commonwealth or it may have led to a revolt such as the American Revolutionary War that would happen 30 years after Culloden.
Next: 7 things you didn't know about the Battle of Culloden
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