The Jacobites were supporters of King James VII of Scotland (also James II of England) and his descendants, who belonged to the Stuart dynasty. They aimed to restore the Stuarts to the British throne after James was deposed in the 1688 Glorious Revolution due to his Catholicism and efforts to expand Catholic rights, which were opposed by many Protestant subjects. The name "Jacobite" comes from the Latin form of James, "Jacobus".
The Jacobite movement involved several uprisings and attempts to reclaim the throne for the Stuarts during the late 17th and 18th centuries, notably including the Jacobite Risings of 1689, 1715, 1719, and 1745. The 1745 rising, led by Charles Edward Stuart, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, is the most famous. The Jacobites were mainly supported in Scotland, parts of Ireland, and northern England, often drawing from Highland clans loyal to the Stuart cause.
The conflict was rooted in religious and political divisions, notably between Catholics (supporting the Stuarts) and Protestants (supporting the new Protestant monarchs Mary and William of Orange, and later the Hanoverian dynasty). The Jacobites upheld the principle of divine right, believing the monarch's authority is God-given and thus the post-1688 regime was illegitimate.
In summary, the Jacobites were the loyalists to the Stuart kings after their deposition in the late 17th century, fighting mainly in Scotland and surrounding areas to restore the Catholic Stuart line to the British throne.
