A capital falls without a shot
On 17 September 1745, Prince Charles Edward Stuart — Bonnie Prince Charlie — entered Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, without a fight. The Jacobite army, which had marched south from Glenfinnan after raising the standard on 19 August, simply walked in through the Netherbow Port when a coach passed through the city gate in the early hours of the morning.
The city had been in a state of panic for days. The Town Guard was elderly and poorly armed. The regular garrison had been sent south to reinforce General Cope's army, leaving Edinburgh virtually undefended. When the Jacobites appeared, the city fathers debated endlessly but could not agree on resistance. The castle garrison held out under General Guest, but the city itself was defenceless.
Prince Charlie rode into Edinburgh on horseback, and the scene at Holyrood Palace was extraordinary. The prince took up residence in the palace of his ancestors — the last Stuart to hold court there. His father was proclaimed King James VIII at the Mercat Cross on the Royal Mile. Crowds gathered, some enthusiastic, some merely curious. Edinburgh's polite society was divided: many privately supported the Hanoverians but found the young prince personally charming.
The capture of Edinburgh was a propaganda triumph. For the first time in decades, a Stuart prince held court in Scotland's capital. Charles entertained at Holyrood, held levees and balls, and tried to project an image of legitimate royal authority. But the city's merchants and professional classes were wary, and Edinburgh Castle remained in Government hands throughout the occupation. The Jacobites held Edinburgh for just six weeks before marching south into England. They would never hold a capital city again.