Halloooooo!!!!
Today had a bit of a rocky start. I got a message from a friend who had send me a link. Curious as to what it was about, I opened it and BAM: Brexit is a fact. Not long after other messages poured in and social media exploded. I had to rush to get down for breakfast on time! During breakfast and right before I had to pack to check out I was busy answering messages and trying to read as much as possible whilst I had internet. Eventually 10am rolled around and I had to leave. Time to shift my mind from present to past as I had planned to visit Culloden Moor.
In hindsight, not the best day to go visit an historic sight like that, but that is how my planning worked out.
For anyone who doesn't know what Culloden Moor is or why it is important in UK history, allow me to give you a little update.
Culloden Moor, situated near Inverness, was the battlefield of the final battle between Jacobites and the English in 1746. In the years leading up to the battle, Bonnie Prince Charlie (the young pretender) started a campaign to gain money and support from France and the Clans to take back his Scottish throne. If you don't know, his great grandfather was Charles I who's grandma was none other than Mary, queen of Scots. Charles I son, James II of England and Ireland and VII of Scotland was the last Roman Catholic king to rule over the three countries. After the Glorious Revolution in 1688 he was desposed of his position which would lead to the first Jacobite Rising in 1705, when James' II/VII son, James III (the Old Pretender), would try to restore the Stewarts to the Scottish throne after the throne went from Stewart family to Hannover family after queen Anne died childless. The first rising failed, but in 1745 young Bonnie prince Charlie was determined to succeed where his father failed. Little did he know that his ambitions would lead to the deaths of thousand highlanders and the end of Scotland as they knew it. I think that is the gest of it. It's all very complicated.
On 16th April 1746 the UK landscape would forever change. The highlanders suffered great loses and were eventually defeated. The battle lasted less than an hour. After that day in April, the Duke of Cumberland persecuted any Highlander who was suspected to have ties with the Jacobites to prevent any future rebellion. After this final battle the authentic way of highlander's life was prohibited. Clan chiefs were ripped from their leading positions and lost their status, kilts were banned and Scots had to abide English laws.
Now, you already know that I'm a huge Outlander fan. I absolutely adore the show and I have read the first two books of the series. One of the reasons why I wanted to visit Culloden Moor was because of Outlander. It is a part of history we're not taught in Belgium, but it is so interesting.
It also makes me very angry. Because one guy (Bonnie Prince Charles) wanted to take back what was his by birth (the Scottish throne), 1000 upon 1000 highlanders lost their lives. Of course, at the beginning the Scots were succesfull and had victory after victory. That is probably why prince Charles decided to push his luck and continued South. By this time, the Jacobites from England didn't show up and help from France wasn't what Charles had promised the clans when he tried to persuade them to follow him. Uncertainty and devisions rose and many clan chieftans wanted to focus on stablizing the ground they gained, but no, prince Charles wanted more. Ugh. Eventually the Scots were pushed back by the English red coats all the way up in the Highlands to Culloden. By the time the sun rose on 16th April 1746, the Scottish army was exhausted and scattered over Scotland. Yet, prince Charles decided that they needed to face the English army, fight and win. Well, that didn't happen. In less than an hour, the Scottish army had to retreat and Bonnie Prince Charlie had to flee. When the Highlanders thought that they'd regroup and recharge again, Charles just simply said something in the lines of 'abandon the mission and secure your own safety'. And that is what he did. He was on the run for 5 months (helped by Jacobites), to eventually dress up as a maid to flee to the Isle of Skye and then back to France where he was greeted as a hero. A hero! The little shit.
There is this beautiful scene in the book where the Highlanders had just fought one of the battles and Claire is nursing them as best as she can, including Jamie. Prince Charles walks in and has a chat with every man in recovery, showing his gratitude and thanks. But when he sees that Jamie, his friend and 'loyal' supporter, is hurt as well, it seems to dawn on him. All the other men were just members of clans he needed to support him. But Jamie was his friend and to see a friend hurt by a decision he made, it seemed to hit him, a bit. Not enough though, 'cause he just continued to fight his way South until they had to retreat.
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| Blue flags mark where the Jacobites line would have been. |
I probably wouldn't be so passionate about if it weren't for Outlander. This might sound very silly, but because of these fictional characters I was able to be much more compassionate about their cause than say, the battle of Waterloo or the battle of Trafalgar. That is just yet another battle. But after reading the first two books, you get to know the clans MacKenzie and Fraser and you get to know these fictional characters and their reasons why they want to join, or not join, the Jacobites. It gets a bit more personal. If the story was set in 1815 and Claire tried to prevend Napoleon from seizing power, it would probably have been the same.
The exibition at the Culloden Moor centre featured the English side of the story and the Scottish side of the story. I was completely bias and only read the Scottish part of history. At the end of it, you also have the opportunity to actually hold a Scottish targes, dagger and broad sword explained how and why'd they use it. It was so interesting. And I'll definitely pay attention to that when I'm watching episode 10 'Prestopans'.
The battlefield itself is nowhere near the size of what it actually was, but during the exhibition and on the tour around the battlefield, it is very well explained how the highlander opened fire, the struggles they had and how, eventually, they lost.
Having read Dragonfly in Amber, which made me wheep, and seeing the actually battlefield where such a big part of UK history went down, it proper hit me. Probably a bit intensified by the whole Brexit situation and the uncertainty there, but it was an intense experience for me. Now I'm actually looking forward going back home (just a tiny bit) and start reading Voyager, which is the third book in the series. Oh and catch up on the episodes that I'm missing whilst being on holiday.
Also, if you can remember the beginning of the first season, you'll know that Frank and Claire visited the battlefield whilst Frank explained to Claire what happened on that faithful day in 1746. Another film location: check.
I had lunch at the restaurant in the centre and by 3pm a band of young men, boys really between 15-20yrs, decked out in traditional uniform started playing. I'm not sure if it was for an event or if they do it every day, but it was glorious. The drums, the bag pipes, the kilts,... I think it is also really cool that certain traditions are kept alive by youngsters. You go Scots!
After my visit I drove to my guest house in Inverness where I'm staying for the night. I'm not actually going to visit the town, just wander around a bit. Tomorrow however, I'll be driving all the way South. It's official, I'm halfway through my holiday and roadtrip and if I'm not careful the feeling of dread to go back to London might overshadow the rest of the trip. Which is something I'd rather avoid of course. Stay positive, live in the moment and enjoy every second of it! ;)
That is it for today, thanks for reading!
xo - Sara
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