I've always been fascinated by the Jacobite movement, I don't know why but I have. Maybe its the romantic aspect of a exiled King returning home triumphantly or my Legitimist tendencies to be against replacing a monarch but its a favorite of mine. I've tried to find a good TL with a Jacobite restoration but was disappointed to have only found one,A' The Blue Bonnets, and even then it only had the Stuarts restored in Scotland. So I've decided to write one of my own but I need help finding a good POD. I have three ideas and I would love some feedback. Since most agree that the Rising of forty-five was the closest the Jacobites came to a restoration, my POD ideas are set there.
1. Out of anger over the promised French support failing to materialize, Charles Edward Stuart decides to take a chance to get more support in England proper and converts to Anglicanism. I know that sounds like a long-shot, but in 1750, Charles made an incognito visit to London, where he converted to protestantism. He would later reconvert but the idea is there. So I was thinking that the English Tory Nobles who promised support might be more likely to rise in favor of guaranteed eventual protestant Succession combined with their hated of a foreign King and Government domination by the Whigs. I think this is the best for the Stuarts getting home support and not being seen as a French puppet but I'm not sure if the nobles would rise and if it would be enough.
2. The promised French support arrives. According to Wikipedia, when Charles Edward reached Derby during the attempted invasion of England, France agreed to send a much larger invasion force to support them - but this decision was taken too late. By the time such an expedition was ready, Charles had withdrawn to Scotland and the rebellion was ended with the battle of Culloden in 1746 after which the French invasion plans were shelved for the remainder of the war of the Austrian Succession. Now lets say the decision to send a larger invasion force is made earlier, say in September, when the Jacobites take Edinburgh instead of in December, when they reach Derby. So when Alexander de Boyer, Marquis d'Eguilles, Louis XV's personal representative arrives in October and tells the Jacobite Council of the news, they decide to wait for french support instead of making a foolish attempt to invade England. Militarily, this would be the best plan but I'm afraid that it would just invite a counter uprising a few years later, because of the image of the Stuarts having had their throne won for them by France.
3. Charles Edward chooses to fallow the advice of his (arguably) best general,Lord George Murray, and not fight on flat open ground at the battle of Culloden. The battle gos in the Jacobite's favor, and in a shocking turn of events, the British/Hanoverian Commander Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, is killed. With no commander, the army retreats, suffering mid-range casualties of about 2,000-2,500, which out of an army of 7,000 would be disastrous. I'm reluctent to use this POD because its similar to the TL I mentioned earlier, FletcherofSaltoun's A' The Blue Bonnets...., and I don't want to be accused of stealing or copying someone's ideas.
So those are the three POD's I came up with. Again feedback would be very much appreciated, and if anyone else has a different idea or suggestion, it would be very welcome.