Bonnie Prince Charlie
The classic work on the man is Frank McLynn’s Bonnie Prince Charlie: Charles Edward Stuart who argues powerfully in the book that the failure of the 1745 was not inevitable and that events could have turned out very differently for the Prince. The ’45: Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Untold Story of the Jacobite Uprising by Christopher Duffy, an authority of 18th-century warfare, addresses the story from a military viewpoint.
David R. Ross’s On The Trail of Bonnie Prince Charlie is a guide to the places associated with the Prince while John S. Gibson, a historian interested in the Jacobites, has an inexpensive title, The Gentle Lochiel: Cameron Chief and Bonnie Prince Charlie, which throws light on the followers and clan chiefs who supported the uprising.
On a more academic level, A.J Youngson’s The Prince and the Pretender: Two Views of the ’45 allows the reader to see the story from opposing points of view (the Prince does not lack his detractors) and has a valuable account of how historians have treated the Prince over the years.
The story has inspired several works of fiction, the most notable, of course, being Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley (Edinburgh’s main train station is named after the novel.) Edward Waverley is a young English soldier who is drawn to the Jacobite cause and the novel follows his progress. That other great storyteller, Robert Louis Stevenson, was inspired by the Jacobite rebellion to write one of his greatest works, Kidnapped and also, for children, Quest for a Kelpie by Frances Hendry has become of the classics in Scottish children’s fiction.
Although the Prince did not have Gaelic, his heartland was very much Gaelic-speaking Scotland, and one of the greatest Gaelic poets, Alasdair MacMhaighstir Alasdair, accompanied the Prince on the march to Derby and is said to have given him Gaelic lessons. His poetry can be found in anthologies.
Books featured in this article
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£18.99The '45 - Paperback -
This work addresses a crucial episode in British history: the last time that a British monarch stood a serious chance of being unseated by a dynastic rival at the head of an army. The text is supported by numerous maps and a comprehensive guide to the sites that can be visited today. -
Add to BasketBonnie Prince Charlie: Charles Edward Stuart - Paperback -
£15.00
Following the crushing defeat at Culloden in 1746, Bonnie Prince Charlie was to play out the rest of his career dogged by a sense of failure and betrayal. This biography of Charles Stuart argues that failure was far from inevitable and history in 1745 came closer to taking a quite different turn. -
Add to BasketThe Gentle Lochiel: The Cameron Chief And Bonnie Prince Charlie - Paperback -
£5.99
Regarded as a central mover in the last Jacobite rising, Donald Cameron of Lochiel has remained an elusive historical figure. John Gibson here brings Lochiel into the spotlight. -
Add to BasketOn The Trail Of Bonnie Prince Charlie - Paperback -
£7.99
Part of a series of guides looking at key figures and themes, this work follows the trail of Charles Edward Stewart, the Young Pretender. As well as providing guidebook information on Scotland this book offers fascinating facts about the prince. -
Add to BasketWaverley - Paperback -
£9.99
Set against the backdrop of the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, 'Waverley' tells the story of Edward Waverley, an idealistic daydreamer whose loyalty to his regiment is threatened when they are sent to the Scottish Highlands where he is drawn to Fergus Mac-Ivor and his beautiful sister, both loyal to Charles Stuart.
Other titles
- Bonnie Prince Charlie: a biography - Carolly Erickson
- Bonnie Prince Charlie - G.A. Henty
- Bonnie Prince Charlie in Love - Hugh Douglas
Drawing of Prince Charles Edward Stewart
Imaged licensed from scran.ac.uk