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How did Henry Fielding respond to the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745?
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Henry Fielding
Henry Fielding, frontispiece to Fielding's Works (1st ed., 1762), engraving by James Basire after a drawing by William Hogarth
In response to the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, which sought to restore the Stuart monarchy, Henry Fielding emerged as a staunch defender of the government and the Church of England.1
Fieldingās opposition to the uprising, led by the Roman Catholic Prince Charles Edward, manifested in several ways:
- Political Pamphleteering: He authored a pamphlet titled A Serious Address to the People of Great Britain, in which he warned the public of the consequences of the rebellion.1
- Journalism: Shortly after the pamphlet, he became the editor of a weekly paper called The True Patriot: And the History of Our Own Times. He wrote this publication almost single-handedly until the rebellion was suppressed at the Battle of Culloden in April 1746.1
- Satirical Propaganda: In 1747, he launched The Jacobiteās Journal, which utilized irony to critique the movement. The government recognized the effectiveness of this work, purchasing 2,000 copies of each issue to distribute in alehouses and inns across the country.1