5 Battle of Culloden myths debunked

The Battle of Culloden is an important moment in Scottish history that affected the lives of clansmen throughout the country. However, it’s also a battle full of myths about the events during and after.

Events in history are often shrouded in myths. These can be due to fictional portrayals twisting the facts (don’t get me started on Philippa Gregory’s fact twists!) or simply not doing enough research or finding enough to support a claim. The Battle of Culloden isn’t exempt from fact twisting and myth creation.

While Diana Gabaldon attempted to mostly stick to facts, there are elements of the Battle of Culloden glossed over. This can lead to fans believing some of the myths surrounding the historic battle that would see the end of clan life as it was known at the time.

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April 16 is the anniversary of the Battle of Culloden and the perfect time to look into the myths of the battle and debunk the main five.

#1. It was all about Stuart vs. Hanover

A main belief is that the Battle of Culloden was only about putting a Stuart king on the British throne. While that was certainly a main pushing point, it wasn’t the only reason people joined the cause. Just looking at how the cause grew over the years and when a major turning point in Scotland came after 1707.

What happened then? It was the joining of the union. Scotland and England became one, ruled formally not just by one monarch but by one parliament. It’s not surprising the Scottish wanted to fight back, especially the Highlanders. Parliament was in London, filled with English. They had no idea what it was like to live in the Highlands.

How is it possible to prove this? Well, between 1689 and 1691, the numbers were in the low thousands. Oh, and Jacobite claims date back further than 1689, with some fighting against Charles I (although this was predominately an English civil war). Around 22,000 took up arms against the Crown in 1715, just seven years after the Act of Union in 1707. That number dropped to around 11,500 in 1745, as more people accepted that the Union was staying.

#2. It was guerrilla warfare

There’s a common view that the Jacobite forces (which weren’t just Scottish, by the way) fought with a guerrilla warfare style. Many claim they were untrained and ill-equipped to face off against the British soldiers.

This wasn’t quite the case.

While they were slightly lower in numbers than the British, they weren’t poorly trained. In fact, they had regimented lines and had a mixture of British and French training at their disposal.

The main issue came to location and transportation problems. The Jacobites weren’t really in a position to fight back, but they needed to. The British wanted Inverness, a last major depot for the Jacobite cause. The Jacobites knew that if they lost Inverness it was all over. So they fought with everything they had at the time on a moor that was boggy and in a fight that was doomed from the start.

Had the Jacobites attempted guerrilla warfare, they would have broken up and lost much sooner than they did. They knew that, so they had to stick with the training they had.

#3. It was Catholics vs. Protestants

Like the myth that it was just Stuart vs. Hanover, there is also the myth that the Jacobites were all Catholic and the Crown’s men were all Protestant. This was certainly not the case.

In fact, the majority of the Jacobite recruits were from the Scottish Episcopal Church. This was a rough Scottish version of the Church of England and didn’t view the Pope as the head of the church. What the Jacobites really wanted was to get rid of the Presbyterian church that was overseeing the country.

That being said, there were Catholics involved. After all, the Stuarts were Catholic monarchs and a number of Catholics did want to put them back on the throne. The British Protestant monarchs weren’t exactly the friendliest to the Catholics and there wasn’t the same level of acceptance of different faiths there is today.

Yet, the British also had some Catholic fighters, as well as Protestant ones. Then there were those that just stayed out of it and hoped for the best!

#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 18^th and the 19^th 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

What have you learned about the Battle of Culloden? Were there myths that have been debunked for you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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