Scotland and "The Forty-Five"

[guy]

I don't want to get into the politics here.

 

I am surprised, however, that several people I talked to from Scotland didn't know what "The Forty-Five" referred to.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobite_rising_of_1745

 

Is this a term that only a few "history geeks" know? Or, is it akin to an American's not knowing the significance of "1776"?

 

For full disclosure: My mother's family didn't leave Italy for America until after 1906. My Dad's family, however, were "invited to leave" Scotland in the early 1750s. Although I assume that they were somehow involved in the politics of the day, they may have been just cattle thieves.

 

Thanks, ahead of time,

 

 

guy also known as gaius

Edited May 20, 2012 by guy

[Melvadius]

Probably with modern education nowadays you would be equally out of luck asking about the 1745.

 

The tweeters amongst them would immediately ask what was happening at quarter to six.

 

Seriously it probably depends who you are asking and more importantly if they understand the context of the question. I think we did get a short session on the Young Pretender when I was at primary school

 

One of the major issues in the UK now is that at best history is only taught in individual modules and IIRC that period isn't really covered until 5th or 6th years in secondary school when a lot of pupils had already dropped history as a subject.