Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart (31 December 1720 – 31 January 1788), known as Charles Edward Stuart, the Young Pretender, and popularly as Bonnie Prince Charlie, was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart and the grandson of King James II & VII.
He was the Jacobite claimant to the British throne from 1766 until his death, but is most famous for leading the Jacobite rising of 1745, which briefly restored Stuart rule in Scotland before its defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Charles became a romantic symbol of the lost Stuart cause, celebrated in legend, song, and later nationalist memory.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Charles Edward was born on 31 December 1720 at the Palazzo Muti in Rome, the residence granted to his father, James Francis Edward Stuart, by the Papacy. He grew up in a court-in-exile surrounded by Jacobite loyalists, raised in the Catholic faith, and educated in languages, horsemanship, and military arts. His striking appearance and charm won him admiration from European courts, where he was styled as "Prince of Wales" by his supporters.
Rising of 1745[]
In July 1745, amid the War of the Austrian Succession, Charles secretly sailed from France to the Hebrides with a handful of companions. Landing at Eriskay, he raised the Stuart standard at Glenfinnan on 19 August 1745. Several Highland clans rallied to his cause, and his forces captured Edinburgh before defeating government troops at the Battle of Prestonpans.
Charles advanced into England, reaching as far south as Derby in December 1745. However, faced with limited English support, the advance halted, and the army retreated north. On 16 April 1746, his forces were decisively defeated by the Duke of Cumberland at the Battle of Culloden, ending the rising. The aftermath was brutal, with widespread repression of Highland culture and Jacobite supporters.
Escape and exile[]
After Culloden, Charles became a fugitive in the Highlands, famously aided by Flora MacDonald, who helped him escape disguised as a maid. In September 1746, he was rescued by a French vessel and returned to the continent, where he was at first celebrated as a romantic hero.
Over time, his failure and increasingly erratic behavior diminished his standing. Once courted by European monarchs, he drifted into obscurity as support for the Jacobite cause waned.
Later years[]
Following the death of his father in 1766, Charles inherited the Jacobite claim as "King Charles III" in the eyes of his supporters, though the Papacy declined to recognize him. He spent much of his later life in Italy, battling alcoholism and declining health.
In 1772, he married Louise of Stolberg-Gedern, but the marriage was unhappy and childless. He acknowledged a natural daughter, Charlotte Stuart, Duchess of Albany, in 1783.
Charles died of a stroke in Rome on 31 January 1788 at the age of 67. He was initially buried in the Church of Frascati, but later reinterred with his brother and father in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Legacy[]
Charles Edward Stuart became a romantic figure in Scottish and European memory. Nicknamed "Bonnie Prince Charlie," he was celebrated in songs, poetry, and art as the dashing leader of a doomed cause. In reality, his later years were marred by disappointment and personal decline, but his legend endured as part of the mythos of the Highlands and the Jacobite movement.
The defeat at Culloden effectively ended serious Jacobite attempts to reclaim the throne, but Charles’s brief successes in 1745 made him the most famous Stuart pretender.
Gallery[]
| Pretender to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: James Francis Edward Stuart |
1766–1788 | Succeeded by: Henry Benedict Stuart |