What if The Old Pretender had died before 1715?

Admittedly, I do not have a precise divergence as to when this was ever likely to have happened. But I have been wondering lately as to what the history of Britain would have looked like in the more or less complete absence of the Jacobite cause after the death of the deposed James II. Presuming the would be "James III" dies before his father does, and his father never fathers another son in the interim or at least none that survive him, what would be the impact both immediate and long term?
 
Well Jacobitism as a political force is dead so there will be no more uprisings. The Scottish Clan system is doomed in the long run but it won't be violently suppressed as in OTL without the '15 and '45. Which might in turn mean it stays dead rather than being revived by the Victorians. So you won't get the present ridiculous situation of Lowlanders wearing Kilts.
 
Well Jacobitism as a political force is dead so there will be no more uprisings. The Scottish Clan system is doomed in the long run but it won't be violently suppressed as in OTL without the '15 and '45. Which might in turn mean it stays dead rather than being revived by the Victorians. So you won't get the present ridiculous situation of Lowlanders wearing Kilts.

What would the international impact of no Jacobitism after 1715 be? How would the relationship between Britain and France be impacted for example, given that the French court isn't going to be propping up a Jacobite court in exile and everyone else they did to support the Jacobites and their various attempts to regain the throne? In the absence of "James III", what would French policy be?


It's been a long time since I studied this, so my memory may be faulty on this point, but if I remember correctly, the Jacobite cause' support in Scotland and Ireland was not simply a matter of love for the Jacobite claimants. That is, in both areas there existed at least in certain regions a degree of resentment against the British ruling class. Therefore, some sort of unrest in Ireland and Scotland at some point during the 18th century even without the Jacobites as a unifying rallying point may still be a problem for London. Again I could well be not remembering my history correctly here.


Also, would the absence of the specter of a Jacobite restoration alter the succession calculation at all presuming that Prince William still dies before Queen Anne? I would expect the House of Hanover to triumph given the fear of a Catholic monarch, but would anyone be inclined to support a House of Savoy succession ITTL?
 
What would the international impact of no Jacobitism after 1715 be? How would the relationship between Britain and France be impacted for example, given that the French court isn't going to be propping up a Jacobite court in exile and everyone else they did to support the Jacobites and their various attempts to regain the throne? In the absence of "James III", what would French policy be?

Not much of an effect. French support for Jacobitism was always subservient to general relations with London, when relations were good they were kicked out and sent to wander the courts of Europe, eventually ending up in Rome. When Britain was at war with France the Stuarts were invited back. They weren't a cause of Anglo-French tension, they were a tool of French foreign policy.

It's been a long time since I studied this, so my memory may be faulty on this point, but if I remember correctly, the Jacobite cause' support in Scotland and Ireland was not simply a matter of love for the Jacobite claimants. That is, in both areas there existed at least in certain regions a degree of resentment against the British ruling class. Therefore, some sort of unrest in Ireland and Scotland at some point during the 18th century even without the Jacobites as a unifying rallying point may still be a problem for London. Again I could well be not remembering my history correctly here.

Jacobitism was basically a cause of the dispossessed and disappointed with the post 1689/1707 settlement; i.e. Catholics, Highlanders, Catholic Highlanders, backwoods squires etc. Those same groups are still going to unhappy with Whig domination and development of Britain into a semi-democratic, mercantile economy where things like the Highland Clan system are obsolete. So you're going to see unrest as commercial sheep farming is introduced to Highlands, in OTL it was done in the aftermath of the '45 when the Clans had already been crushed, in the absence of that it will probably be delayed but economic reality will eventually intrude. Ireland will still be a running sore due to the Catholic/Protestant divide but Jacobitism was never such a big deal there. Irish Catholics had plenty of other reasons to hate Protestants.

Also, would the absence of the specter of a Jacobite restoration alter the succession calculation at all presuming that Prince William still dies before Queen Anne? I would expect the House of Hanover to triumph given the fear of a Catholic monarch, but would anyone be inclined to support a House of Savoy succession ITTL?

No. James II had pretty thoroughly scotched the idea of a ever allowing a Catholic within spitting distance of the throne.
 
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