The Border Families of England and Scotland led a difficult life that began in the 13th century. Their allegiance was difficult to determine and often led to conflicts between themselves, the Highlanders and the English. Border raids were common in the fight to hold land and power so much so that they were often called Border Reivers, a term derived from the word reive, an early English word to rob or plunder, and/or from the Northumbrian and Scots Inglis verb reifen from the Old English reafian.[1]
MoreThe Jacobites were the supporters of the Catholic James II, whose brief reign as king of Britain was marred by religious conflict between the monarch and his largely Protestant subjects. In 1669, James converted to Catholicism while serving as Lord High Admiral. News of his conversion leaked out to the general public in 1673, and he was forced to resign from his post due to the ensuing controversy. Although the outraged aristocracy attempted to exclude him from the succession, they failed to do so and upon the death of James' elder brother Charles II in 1685, their fears of having a Catholic king became a reality.
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