10/06/2025
Today is the anniversary of The Battle of Glenshiel, June 10, 1719 .
On this day in 1719, Glenshiel became the stage for a dramatic but often overlooked chapter in the Jacobite saga – the Battle of Glenshiel.
Known as the “Little Rising,” this was the only major engagement of the 1719 Jacobite Uprising, a fleeting but bold attempt to restore the Stuart monarchy.
The Jacobites, ever determined to place James Francis Edward Stuart (the “Old Pretender”) on the British throne, found an unlikely ally in 1719: Spain.
The Spanish saw a chance to destabilize Britain, Spain’s rival, by backing the Jacobite cause. They dispatched a force of 5,000 Spanish troops to Scotland. But the North Sea had other plans. Ferocious storms battered the fleet, and only around 300 battle-hardened Spanish soldiers, made it to the shores of Kintail. This gut-punch to the Rising’s momentum deterred many potential Jacobite recruits.
The Jacobites set up their base at the iconic Eilean Donan Castle. It was meant to be their supply hub as they marched toward Inverness through the Great Glen. But the Hanoverian government, was one step ahead. Three warships sailed into Loch Duich, pounding Eilean Donan with cannon fire until it was reduced to rubble. The Jacobites’ plans were thrown into chaos, and their supply line was shattered.
On June 10, a government force of about 1,000 men, marched from Inverness to confront the Jacobites at Glenshiel. The battle raged for hours, muskets cracking and cannons roaring through the mountains. The Jacobites held their ground fiercely, with the Spanish troops earning praise for their discipline. But the tide turned as reinforcements from Lowland clans failed to materialize. Morale crumbled, and the Jacobites’ resolve faltered. As dusk fell, the Rising collapsed.
The Battle of Glenshiel was a fleeting spark in the Jacobite cause, overshadowed by the larger risings of 1715 and 1745.
