The King Over the Water

Book excerpt: “An engaging look at the violent struggle of the surprisingly diverse Jacobites... Swift and cinematic with neatly sketched character portraits.” —Financial Times This is the first modern history for general readers of the entire Jacobite movement in Scotland, England and Ireland, from the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688 that drove James II into exile to the death of his grandson, Cardinal Henry, Duke of York, in 1807. The Battle of Culloden and Bonnie Prince Charlie’s flight through the heather are well known, but not the other risings and plots that involved half of Europe and even revolutionary America. Based on the latest research, The King over the Water weaves together all the strands of this gripping saga into a vivid, sweeping narrative, full of insight, analysis and anecdote. “Few causes have aroused a more gallant response from the peoples of these islands than the Honest Cause,” writes Desmond Seward, “whether they were fighting for it at Killiecrankie, Prestonpans or Culloden, at the Boyne, Aughrim or Fontenoy, or dying for it on the scaffold.” “Highly readable, with brilliantly rendered characters, and thrilling tales of deceit and espionage.”—Military History Monthly “A bracingly revisionist history.” —Telegraph “Seward's detailed descriptions of the Princes, Princesses, Kings, and Queens create a sense of theatre and allow the reader to fully immerse themselves into the dramatic events of the period . . . an engaging and easy read.” —Scottish Field “A rollickingly, splendidly chronological history.” –Herald “Seward's clear-sighted examination of the Jacobite movement shows how close it came to succeeding.” —Scotsman “This lively book is a welcome addition.” —BBC History