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In 1715, the Earl of Mar (an ousted government minister) raised a royal standard on the Braes of Mar in favour of James Stuart, the son of James VII and II, and also known as James VIII and III or the \'Old Pretender\'. Mar led his supporters - the Jacobites - south in an attempt to seize Edinburgh Castle, the government\'s main arsenal in Scotland. A simultaneous rising occurred in the north of England but was defeated at Preston. The Scottish Jacobites reached as far as Sheriffmuir in Perthshire where they fought with government troops. Although the battle was indecisive, the Jacobites withdrew.In reality, the revolt failed abysmally - principally because of Mar\'s indecisive leadership - and James (who had landed on the Scottish coast after the battle) fled back to France.
Further rebellions were attempted in 1719 (defeated at Glenshiel) and throughout the 1720s. Eventually, however, James settled peacefully in Rome.
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