On the cusp: The origins of Scottish Jacobitism and the Anglo-Scottish union of 1707

Abstract

Jacobitism is most remembered from the doomed rebellion of 1745 and as a result, the origins of Jacobitism have received little academic attention. The study of Jacobitism is also a useful lens through which to study the Anglo-Scottish Union of 1707. Drawing from the history of Anglo-Scottish relations, British political economy, and Jacobitism this thesis examines how Jacobitism formed and subsequently became a threat to the established government in Westminster 1689-1715. I argue that Jacobitism constituted a viable threat to the government but more than that, it more or less forced the creation of the Anglo-Scottish Union in 1707. English perceptions of Jacobitism also inflated its threat because it gave the Jacobites more credibility than the Jacobites often had. In addition, Jacobitism was often viewed as a uniquely Scottish problem, however this thesis contends that Jacobitism spread into England because the border between Scotland and England was fluid. The Scots and English, most especially the English in northern England, shared a landscape and culture, and, as a consequence, elements of Jacobitism. The study of the creation of Jacobitism and its role during the Union of 1707 is essential to understanding the formation of the British State during the pivotal years of 1689-1715 and indeed, essential to understanding Anglo-Scottish relations today.