Clear

The Highland Clearances play a crucial role in Clear, as John Ferguson is sent to clear Ivar from the island to allow Henry Lowrie, the wealthy landowner, to use the island to raise sheep. The first wave of Highland Clearances took place in the 1750s, after the Battle of Culloden. The Battle of Culloden was fought on April 16, 1746, and ended the Jacobite uprising of 1745.

The Jacobite rising of 1745 was the last of the Jacobite uprisings, which were a series of efforts to put a Stuart monarch on the throne of Scotland. The term “Jacobite” comes from the Latin “Jacobe,” which translates to James, the name of many Stuart monarchs (“The Battle of Culloden.” BBC History). The Stuart line ruled England for a century, from the coronation of James I in 1603 until the death of Queen Anne in 1714. Queen Anne left no heirs, so the throne passed to George I, Queen Anne’s German second cousin (“George I.” BBC History). Upon George I’s death, his son George II ascended the throne. In 1745, Charles Edward Stuart, colloquially known as “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” led a Jacobite army in support of his father James Francis Edward Stuart against the British military forces loyal to King George II.