Planned French invasion of Britain (1708)
Planned French Invasion of Britain (1708) | |||||||
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Part of Jacobite risings and War of the Spanish Succession | |||||||
James Francis Edward Stuart, by unknown artist | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Great Britain |
Jacobites France | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
George Byng |
Jacobite risings | ||||||
The Planned French Invasion of Britain, [a] took place in March 1708 during the War of the Spanish Succession. Hoping to divert British resources from Flanders, a French Navy expedition was ordered to transport 5,000–6,000 soldiers to northeast Scotland. Once landed, they would help local Jacobites restore James Francis Edward Stuart to the throne of Great Britain.
Using a fleet of fast
Background
Under the 1697
By late 1707, the war had reached a stalemate. Despite victories in
Jacobite agent
Senior nobles such as the dukes of Atholl and Hamilton refused to commit, partly because of an attempt in 1703 by Simon Fraser, later Lord Lovat, to implicate them in a Jacobite plot as part of a personal feud.[6] However, Hooke obtained a letter of support signed by Erroll, the Earl of Panmure and six others, promising 25,000 men and requesting 8,000 French troops, weapons, money, artillery, ammunition and "majors, lieutenants, and serjeants to discipline" the Scots army.[7] [b]
John Ker, another Jacobite agent, also claimed backing from Scottish Presbyterian dissidents, arguing they "are persuaded (Union) will...render the Scots slaves to the English".[7] These religious radicals viewed Union as a threat to the Church of Scotland, despite legal safeguards for its independence.[8] Although they appear to have been serious in considering armed rebellion, in reality Ker was a British double agent whose role was to persuade them not to do so.[9]
Nevertheless, in November 1707 Louis decided there was sufficient backing to proceed. Planning began under the supervision of
Expedition
As the
Based on this information, de Forbin told Pontchartrain and Louis XIV the expedition had no chance of success, but planning continued. The fleet assembled at Dunkirk, a major privateer base for centuries since ships could reach the Thames in a single tide, allowing them to reach as far north as the Orkney Islands.[10] By the end of February, 5,000–6,000 troops were ready to embark, joined by James himself on 9 March.[2] Its officers included a number of Jacobite exiles, among them Richard Hamilton and Viscount Galmoy.[11]
Rather than slow-moving transports, de Forbin insisted on using a larger number of small but fast privateers, with reduced crews and fewer guns to accommodate the troops. While that improved their chances of avoiding the Royal Navy, they could not hope to win in a naval battle.[12] The British had been monitoring the preparations, and a squadron under Sir George Byng now arrived off the nearby port of Gravelines, preventing the French from departing. As James was ill with measles, the troops were disembarked while he recovered, and after a week Byng was forced to return to England for resupply. As soon as he left, James and the soldiers were reloaded, and on 17 March, 30 privateers and five warships left Dunkirk.[13]
Their departure was immediately delayed by a two-day gale but forced Byng to take shelter, enabling the French to make for the Firth of Forth. Rather than following the coastline, de Forbin kept out to sea to avoid being spotted and ended up north of the proposed landing site. On 25 March, the French anchored near Fife Ness and spent the next day searching for a landing place, allowing Byng to catch up with them. Despite James's protests, the French privateers could not face the British in battle and headed north. They then spent two days attempting to enter the Moray Firth before they gave up. Most of them made it back to Dunkirk although they were pursued by the British around the north of Scotland and west of Ireland, but they sustained severe damage to both ships and men.[14]
Hearing news of the French fleet, some of the Jacobite gentry, including James Stirling of
Aftermath
Perceptions of the expedition's value reflect a fundamental divergence of objectives between France and their Jacobite allies. The Stuarts wanted to regain their throne; for the French, they were a useful low-cost means of absorbing British resources, but a Stuart restoration would not change the threat posed by British expansion.[17]
The 1708 attempt was a response to the dire military situation France faced as a result of Marlborough's victories in Flanders.[18] It occupied large elements of the British and Dutch navies for several months, with Byng ordered to remain in Scotland even after its defeat, and troops were diverted from Ireland and southern England. A French army of 110,000 recaptured large parts of the Spanish Netherlands before defeat at Oudenarde on 11 July evicted it once more.[19]
Despite its ultimate defeat, the expedition achieved France's short-term purpose but helped the pro-war
Notes
References
- ^ Williams 1960, p. 340.
- ^ a b Owen 1938, p. 238.
- ^ Whatley 2011, p. 55.
- ^ HMSO 1708, pp. 405–423.
- ^ Hopkins 2004.
- ^ Lord 2004, p. 34.
- ^ a b c d Sinclair-Stevenson 1971.
- ^ Bowie 2003, p. 229.
- ^ Douglas 2008.
- ^ Bromley 1987, p. 233.
- ^ Luttrell 1857, p. 282.
- ^ Owen 1938, p. 250.
- ^ Lenman 1980, p. 88.
- ^ Owen 1938, pp. 255–263.
- ^ Mitchell 1905, p. 87.
- ^ Cobbett 1828, p. 1395.
- ^ Macinnes 1984.
- ^ Szechi 1994, p. 56.
- ^ Owen 1938, pp. 268–270.
- ^ Hooke 1760, p. 172.
Sources
- Bowie, Karin (2003). "Public Opinion, Popular Politics and the Union of 1707". The Scottish Historical Review. 82 (214): 226–260. JSTOR 25529719.
- Bromley, JS (1987). Corsairs and Navies, 1600–1760. Continnuum-3PL. ISBN 978-0907628774.
- Cobbett, William (1828) [1719]. "The Trials of James Stirling of Keir". In Howell, T B (ed.). State Trials. Vol. XIV. Longman.
- Douglas, Hugh (2008). "John Ker, of Kersland; 1673–1726". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/15549. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Hooke, Nathaniel (1760). Secret History Of Colonel Hoocke's Negotiations In Scotland In Favour Of The Pretender In 1707: Including The Original Letters And Papers Which Passed Versailles And St. Germains (2011 ed.). Nabu. ISBN 978-1247343648.
- Hopkins, Paul (2004). "Buchan, Thomas; 1641–1724". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/3827. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Lenman, Bruce (1980). The Jacobite risings in Britain 1689–1746. London: Eyre Methuen. ISBN 978-0413396501.
- Lord, Evelyn (2004). The Stuarts' Secret Army. Pearson. ISBN 978-0582772564.
- HMSO (1708). "Lord High Admiral's Answer to the Report of the Committee, upon the Petition of the Merchants complaining of Losses for Want of Cruiz rs and Convoys". Journal of the House of Lords. 18. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- Luttrell, Narcissus (1857). A Brief Historical Relation of State Affairs from September 1678 to April 1714. Vol. VI. Oxford: Oxford University Press. – 1705 to 1714
- Macinnes, AI (October 1984). "Jacobitism". History Today. 34 (10).
- Mitchell, John Oswald (1905). Old Glasgow essays. J Maclehose.
- Owen, John Hely (1938). War at Sea Under Queen Anne 1702–1708 (2010 ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1108013383.
- Sinclair-Stevenson, Christopher (April 1971). "The Jacobite Expedition of 1708". History Today. 21 (4).
- Szechi, Daniel (1994). The Jacobites: Britain and Europe, 1688–1788. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0719037740.
- Whatley, Christopher (2011). Scottish Society, 1707–1830: Beyond Jacobitism, Towards Industrialisation. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0719045400.
- Williams, Neville E (1960). The Eighteenth-Century Constitution 1688–1815: Documents and Commentary (2009 ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521091237.