Jacobite succession

Claims and legal context

From the perspective of Jacobite doctrine the deposed monarch and his heirs remained the de jure sovereigns. In contrast, the de facto government and subsequently the British state recognised the succession established by parliament and by the Act of Settlement (1701). This legal divide—between dynastic legitimacy claimed by Jacobites and parliamentary legitimacy asserted by the new regime—was the root of political and military conflict in the 18th century.

History and principal events

Jacobitism produced periodic uprisings and political agitation. Notable risings occurred in 1689–1691, the 1715 rebellion and the more famous 1745–1746 campaign led by Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie"). These efforts sought to restore Stuart rulers but ultimately failed. The movement combined military attempts with diplomatic and courtly manoeuvres among sympathetic European courts.

Succession after the Stuarts

The direct male Stuart line ended with Henry Benedict Stuart, the Cardinal Duke of York, who died in 1807. After his death the genealogical claim passed into other European dynastic houses by hereditary descent. Those later heirs generally did not press a claim to the British thrones, nor did they bear the English and Scottish royal devices in their personal coats of arms; historically Jacobite claimants sometimes displayed the royal arms when asserting their pretensions. The shift away from active claims reflected changing politics and the integration of Europe’s royal families.

Legacy and significance

Jacobite succession remains of interest to historians, genealogists and cultural historians because it highlights competing notions of legitimacy, the interaction of dynastic politics and parliament, and the persistence of political loyalties after regime change. It also left a rich cultural legacy in ballads, folklore and memory, and continues to be discussed in studies of constitutional development in Britain.

Further reading and context

• Key events: the Glorious Revolution and subsequent uprisings — see material on the Glorious Revolution.
• Dynastic context: origins and descendants of the Stuart family and their European connections.
• Symbolism: use and avoidance of royal insignia in later claimants' heraldry, referenced at arms.