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Image Credit: Paul Cowan / Shutterstock.com | Above: A line engraving of the Young Pretender, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, from 1845

One of European history's most romantic figures, at the heart of a tragic tale of loyalty and devotion.

The Young Pretender led a futile quest to save the very soul of Scotland.

Prince Charles Edward Stuart was born on 31 December 1720, to to the exiled Stuart King James VII and II. Five years later Charles' brother, Henry Benedict, was born on 6 March 1725.

Prince Charles' childhood was lively and full. By the age of six, he was fluent in reading English, French and Latin, was gaining a firm grasp of music, and he rode and shot with enthusiasm.

Europe became increasingly restless when Emperor Charles VI died in 1740, and tension mounted between Protestant England and Catholic/Jacobean communities in Scotland and France.

Charles' ambition and desire for military success led him to plan an invasion of Eng