Why are the Jacobites called Jacobites and who formed them?
“Jacobite was the name given to that party which, after the Revolution of 1688, continued to support the Stuart dynasty, as representing the principle of divine right. It was derived from Jacobus, the Latin for James. The origin of the party, however, may be traced to the reign of Charles I, for the Jacobites of 1688 were the direct successors of the Cavaliers of 1642, as the Whigs were of the Puritans.” (Ruvigny, The Legitimist Kalendar, 1895). The Jacobites deny the validity of the usurpation of the throne first by the Prince and Princess of Orange, next by the Princess Anne of Denmark, and finally by the Elector Georg I of Hannover and his heirs. For the Jacobites, King James II and VII continued to reign until his death in 1701. He was succeeded by his son, James III and VIII, who in turn was succeeded by his sons, Charles III and Henry IX and I. By the death of the latter in 1807 the legitimate male line of the Royal House of Stuart became extinct. The succession to the throne the
