page_title: Planned French invasion of Britain (1708)
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Planned French invasion of Britain (1708) / Background
context_page_description: The Planned French Invasion of Britain, 1708, also known as the 'Entreprise d’Écosse,' took place during the War of the Spanish Succession. The French planned to land 5,000-6,000 soldiers in North-East Scotland to support a rising by local Jacobites, that would restore James Francis Edward Stuart to the throne of Great Britain.
  Despite French commander Claude de Forbin warning the chances of evading the Royal Navy long enough to land his troops were extremely limited, his fleet of small privateers reached Scotland in March 1708. As he had forecast, he was unable to disembark the troops and returned home, narrowly escaping a pursuing British naval force.
  Such attempts reflected a fundamental and continuing divergence of objectives; while the Stuarts wanted to regain their throne, for the French, they were a simple and low-cost way to absorb British resources. Much of the Royal Navy was occupied chasing de Forbin, while troops were diverted from Ireland and Southern England. This made it successful for France, but a failure for the Jacobites.
context_section_description: Under the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick, Louis XIV withdrew support from the exiled James II, and recognised William III as legitimate monarch. However, when James died on 16 September 1701, he reneged on this, and proclaimed his son James Francis Edward Stuart King of England and Scotland. The War of the Spanish Succession began soon after; William died in March 1702 and was succeeded by the last Stuart monarch, James' Protestant daughter Anne.
  By the end of 1707, the war had reached stalemate; despite victories in Flanders, the Allies had been unable to break French border defences, or place their candidate on the Spanish throne. Both sides attempted to use internal conflicts to break the deadlock; Britain supported the Camisard rebels in South-West France, with the Jacobites serving a similar function for the French.
  Jacobite agent Nathaniel Hooke convinced Louis there was an opportunity for a Scottish rising, which would divert British troops from Europe. The 1707 Act of Union was widely unpopular in Scotland, while French privateers caused enormous losses for their maritime trade, and the coastal fishing industry. Protecting Scottish shipping was not a priority for the Royal Navy, which faced multiple demands on its resources for escorting merchant convoys.
  Hooke visited Scotland in 1707, meeting supporters like the Earl of Erroll, while elderly Jacobite Thomas Buchan provided reports on bases at Fort William and Inverness. Senior nobles like the Dukes of Atholl and Hamilton refused to commit, partly due to an attempt in 1703 by Simon Fraser, later Lord Lovat, to implicate them in a Jacobite plot as part of a personal feud. However, Hooke obtained a letter of support signed by Erroll, the Earl of Panmure and six others, promising 25,000 men, and requesting 8,000 French troops, weapons, money, artillery, ammunition and ‘majors, lieutenants and serjeants to discipline’ the Scots army.
  In addition, supposed Jacobite Presbyterian John Ker claimed some radical Presbyterians or Cameronians supported the Stuarts since 'they are persuaded (Union) will bring an infinite number of calamities upon this nation, and render the Scots slaves to the English.' This was because they viewed union as a threat to Presbyterian Church of Scotland, despite the Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Act. While the Cameronians were certainly considering this as an option, Ker was a government agent, whose role was to persuade them not to do so.
  Louis decided there was enough support to begin planning in November 1707; this was supervised by the Comte de Pontchartrain, who had been involved with previous attempts in 1692 and 1696. Claude de Forbin was appointed commander of the naval squadron, with the Comte de Gacé in charge of the landing force.
caption: French Admiral Claude de Forbin (1656-1733); he had little faith in the expedition from the start
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