Culloden cover art

Culloden

Scotland's Last Battle and the Forging of the British Empire

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Culloden

By: Trevor Royle
Narrated by: Tim Bruce
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

The Battle of Culloden in 1746 has gone down in history as the last major battle fought on British soil: a vicious confrontation between the English Royal Army and the Scottish forces supporting the Stuart claim to the throne. But this wasn't just a conflict between the Scots and the English: The battle was also part of a much larger campaign to protect the British Isles from the growing threat of a French invasion.

In Trevor Royle's vivid and evocative narrative, we are drawn into the ranks, on both sides, alongside doomed Jacobites fighting fellow Scots dressed in the red coats of the Duke of Cumberland's Royal Army. And we meet the Duke himself, a skilled warrior who would gain notoriety because of the reprisals on Highland clans in the battle's aftermath. Royle also takes us beyond the battle as the men of the Royal Army, galvanized by its success at Culloden, expand dramatically and start to fight campaigns overseas in America and India in order to secure British interests. We see the revolutionary use of fighting techniques first implemented at Culloden, and we see the creation of professional fighting forces.

©2016 Trevor Royle (P)2017 Tantor 18th Century Europe Great Britain Military Modern England Scotland United Kingdom Highlander Royalty Imperialism War Royal Navy British Empire

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The Scottish Clearances cover art
Culloden cover art
Waterloo: Napoleon, Wellington, and the Battle That Changed Europe cover art
Scots: The Mither Tongue cover art
All the King's Men cover art
The Makers of Scotland cover art
The Volunteers cover art
General Ulysses S. Grant cover art
For Honour's Sake cover art
Scotland cover art
Things I'll Never Forget cover art
Valiant Ambition cover art
The Regiment cover art
Jack Tar cover art
Native American History cover art
The 10 Biggest Civil War Blunders cover art

Critic reviews

"Brilliant and engaging, Royle places Culloden and its aftermath into its true military and social context. The narrative is alive with a passion for the subject." ( Library Journal)
All stars
Most relevant  
This book is a history of English military heads who are variously connected to the battle of Culloden.
What I found interesting (as a Scotsman) was the seldom discussed genesis of the British empire by the pacifying of the Jacobites in the mountains of Scotland.
The battle the book is named for occupies the opening chapters of the book, the rest follows the exploits of a few major figures in the empires history as they fought the French for dominion in the Americas, India and Europe.
What I didn’t like was buying a book about Culloden only to spend hours of my life hearing about the well trodden ground of English history. I was let down by the fact that Scotland was merely the narrative launchpad for a story about the British Empire.
Possibly this is my own fault, I hope that next time I buy a book that appears to concern the history of my own place, people and culture that I am not so disappointed.
For those curious about Culloden and it’s role in the birth of the US and Canada, this book is a must.

Culloden?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It’s an interesting bit of research of lots and lots of people who had direct and indirect relations to the battle at Culloden. Of itself that is interesting to learn, but if you are wanting a detailed treatise of the battle, pick another title.

It is well read and presented.

A brief history of Culloden, a long history of the characters.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If only the Jacobites had not listened to Murray! Who knows how this would have ended up? Good read and excellent historical content.

A good insight into the personalities of the Day.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is not a bad book, but it doesn’t exactly do what it says on the tin, as it were. It would be better entitled “Billy’s Boys – What They Did Next”

Wrong title

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you are looking for a history of Culloden then this book will disappoint. It is largely focused on the careers of Cumberland's officer cadre after the battle; with only a cursory mention of the battle itself in the opening chapters. It's a good book, well read, it just doesn't really live up to it's billing.

Should be titled: 'After Culloden'

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A diligently researched book , narrated flawlessly, keeping the listener constantly engaged.
would highly recommend.

Epic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A extensively researched and detailed analysis of the historical context of the '45 .

There are many details and information about the Government troops and the Jacobites which make sense of the resulting actions.

The only aspect that made me laugh was the pronunciation of Scottish names.
Aside from that this is an excellent book.

Excellent historical context to the '45.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
To be honest, you could probably swap Dettingen for Culloden, both would still have precious little to do with the story, which is a fair summary with interesting features, of the activities of the British army in the second half of the eighteenth century.
I was informed but not particularly entertained and unfortunately, the narrator has too light and soft a voice and too much a tendency towards effecting an excellent French accent, I missed details as I couldn't hear or pick up properly from the voice and / or accent.
A bit of a disappointment really, a better title and narrator would perhaps merit a much better review.

Mistitled, but interesting... if not actually entertaining.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you're looking for a history of the build up, the Battle, the aftermath....Forget it! It is more concerned with the war of the spanish succession, 7 years war and Wolfe. Waste of time and money I'm afaid

Called culloden but has virually nothing to battle

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The first section is around Culloden and is written more from the Government perspective rather than the Jacobites. After chapter 5 it moves into other British military conflicts post Culloden. If you want something specific to Culloden I would look elsewhere.

Not really about Culloden

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.