The Disastrous Stewart era

                            The Stewart Move to England          

The Disastrous Stewart era and the fourth major period of dislocation was one of the most important in Scottish history. This was the era covered by the disastrous failure of the Stewart or Stuart dynasty after its move to England from Scotland in the seventeenth century. Leading  to the subsequent conflicts between the Stuart kings and large parts of Scottish society . A  conflict that continued through the seventeenth century and in to the eighteenth.

                                     The Outbreak of Conflict

Though King James VI backed away from major conflict in the 1620’s his son and successor King Charles I had no such qualms. Resulting in his conflict with the Covenanting controlled Scottish Parliament  from 1637 – 41. Another conflict resulted from the Scottish Parliament’s intervention in the English Civil War from 1644-46. The intervention resulted from the agreement known as the Solemn League and Covenant meant that Scotland suffered widespread loss of life and eventual economic collapse.

                                         The Restoration of Charles II

After the restoration of King Charles II in 1660 there was a less intense period of conflict between the Covenantors and the royal government. However in 1688-89 came the final debacle of the Stuarts . This occurred with the expulsion of the Stuart dynasty in the shape of King James VII from England. The Jacobites then proceeded to ultimately lose the subsequent civil war in Scotland. Despite their significant victory at Killiecrankie in 1689.

                                                    The Jacobite Era

The next sixty years were marked by attempts to restore the Stuart dynasty. These attempts were made by what became known as the Jacobite movement (from the Latin for James – Jacobus). Though the Jacobite threat to the new Hanoverian dynasty effectively ended with the Battle of Culloden in 1746. The movement continued its activities until 1760. This then marked a decisive moment in Scottish history as real absorption of Scotland and particularly its elites could for the first time begin for a significant period. Though perhaps surprisingly this did not occur to a large extent until after the Second World War. Thereafter the  process did get underway. Leading within a short time to the present period of dislocation outlined on the next page.