The Battles of Bonnie Prince Charlie

Prince Charles Edward Stuart (1720-1788) was the grandson of Britain's last Stuart king and the last**xA0;of his line to fight for their right to the throne. Born in Rome and raised at his father's cultured and**xA0;cosmopolitan court-in-exile, the young prince grew up beneath a heavy weight of expectation and**xA0;yearned for the chance to prove his worth. In 1745, just as it seemed his best opportunity had**xA0;already passed, Charles threw caution to the wind and embarked on a secret and seemingly**xA0;desperate expedition to Scotland. What followed is one of the most remarkable, famous, and often**xA0;misrepresented episodes of Scottish history: the '45. This is the story of the last Jacobite rising and the charismatic but controversial prince who led it,**xA0;presenting a human portrait of the Stuart prince through the words of those who served alongside**xA0;him. The picture revealed is one of a humane and capable young man taking on a mission far**xA0;greater than his experience had prepared him for, pushed to the limits of his abilities at a cost from**xA0;which he never recovered. Following Charles Edward Stuart over the battlefields of Prestonpans, Falkirk and Culloden, this book**xA0;reveals the prince's strengths and flaws as a commander, and the difficult relationships he had with**xA0;the very people on whom his fortunes, and reputation, would depend. It is the story of how the**xA0;prince faced conflicts both on and off the battlefield, weathered challenges posed by friends as well**xA0;as foes, and left a legacy which remains hotly contested to this day.