What Are The Major Historical Events In Outlander (Book Series)?

I can easily get caught up in the Outlander series and pulled through the different time periods and history of the 18th and 20th centuries.

At the historical heart of the ‘Outlander’ series is the Jacobite rising of 1745. It can take the form of buildup to the rising, isolated skirmishes – like that fought at Prestonpans – and the disaster of the battle itself followed by the vicious repression of the clan communities over the following year. The way in which the historical events of 1746 and 1747 affect the relationships of individual characters and shape their destinies is a continuous thread throughout the novels. In addition to these historical events the politics of Scotland and France in the earlier and later part of the 18th century are also crucial to an understanding of why the Jacobites thought that they could win and why they did rise at all. In ‘Dragonfly in Amber’ for example Claire and Jamie travel to Paris in the 1750s to try to alter the course of history and to prevent the Stewart Prince Charles Edward to be defeated at Culloden.

But the greatest part of Outlander is the way it explores the history of the American colonies’ slide into rebellion in the 18th century. I have followed the first couple of books in the series to North Carolina, where the characters get caught up in the tensions of the Regulators and local loyalties and dangers. Later, in other books, the story takes the characters to major Revolutionary War sites, and you can feel the taxes and protests and then all-out war rumbling in the background. Along with a deeply-nourished history of the battles and the politics, Gabaldon has explored many topics of historical interest, including the smallpox inoculation, surgery and midwifery in the 18th century. And then there are threads of 20th-century history — Claire’s experience in WWII, her husband’s work as an archaeologist, which causes him to travel back in time to 18th century Scotland in the first place — all of which are cleverly woven throughout the history to create a story that is both deeply historical and intensely personal.

I love showing this out for the novels. To map out the events of the novels against real history is to see just how the plot is anchored to actual historical events. The chronological spine runs from mid 20th century Europe – from Claire’s post WW2 medical background in 1945 – to 18th century Scotland. The core of the Scottish events that affect the novel’s plot, are the Jacobite uprising of 1745-6, the Parisian planning of the rising in ‘Dragonfly in Amber’ and the disastrous Battle of Culloden. These events account for the dispersal, suffering and rebuilding of the main characters.

Over on the American side of the Atlantic, the novels follow a number of different storylines during the American Revolution decade or so. First there are the local colonial wars, then the big Revolutionary War itself (in which, of course, are skirmished out the events of Lexington and Concord, signed the Declaration of Independence, etc., leading up to the dramatic siege of Yorktown). Meanwhile, a whole host of social history is meticulously and vibrantly rendered out: 18th century medicine (inoculation, for example, vs. slashing away wildly with saws and scalpels); the effects of the war on the Jacobites who stayed in the British colonies; what life was actually like under military occupation in various parts of North America. It’s fabulous to read – it feels like annotated history, full of human interest.

As I’m reading through my notes to get a sense of the major events of the novel, I can see that my head keeps returning to a list of events to report out to you, but as we have discussed before, the charm of the Outlander novels lies in making the reader familiar with these historical events as they occur through the eyes of their protagonist. Therefore, to begin with Claire in 1945, and then follow her through the Jacobite rising in the 1740s and bring her to the French court, in 1745, with Bonnie Prince Charlie, and then, as she gets across the Atlantic in 1746, continue the colonial unrest leading up to the Revolutionary War era in the new world, and to be able to track the Fraser family through the local uprisings, the taxation that brings on the militia, and the long build up to the campaigns, that make up the war.

In addition to depicting many of the major events of 1945, 1740s and 1750s history, the books also delve into period medical practices (the smallpox inoculations were particularly powerful), the tribulations of legal enforcement of anti-Jacobite laws and the grueling, day-to-day survival of those caught up in war. Those scenes are so powerful that I still think of them when I’m in the midst of re-reading the series for the umpteenth time.

My perception of reading “Outlander” is that of watching a historical tapestry being slowly unfolded, thread by thread. While reading about the 20th century medical world of the heroine Claire after WWII, I can jump to the 18th century, with all its ruthlessness and mess, in the British Isles. The main part of the events in the British Isles are the Jacobite campaign, plotted in France, the battles with all their victories and defeats, and the consequences of the crushing defeat at Culloden, changing the life of the clans forever. The defeat is not just a military event, but also brings about laws, exile and how people struggle to keep or lose their identity.

It then follows Jamie Fraser to the American colonies and in particular to the Carolina backwoods during the time of the Regulator uprisings, and finally into the heart of the Revolutionary war with all its complexities. Through Claire’s experiences the books vividly depict the day to day activities of doctors and their surgery in the 20th century and before, and the hardships and dangers of those that forego their freedom to speak out against injustices. These aspects of historical events bring them alive in a manner that their true magnitude can penetrate deeply into my mind and remain there long after the book has been closed.

'Outlander' is based on some pretty hard historical facts: the year 1945 in which Claire traveled back in time to 1745, the Jacobite rising that ended at the famous battle of Culloden in 1746, and the years of the American Revolutionary War. The Jacobite defeat had a profound effect on the social structures of Scotland in the following years, and are explored in the early books of 'Outlander'. But when Claire and her husband, black Cavendish Scotsman Jamie, move to the colonies in later years, they are swept up in the pre-Revolutionary tensions, and ultimately in the full-blown war. The novelist has also explored the issues of smallpox inoculation, and the ways that 18th century medicine affected the lives of her characters in ways both great and small. It’s the combination of the characters’ experiences on the battlefield and in their daily lives as a farmer’s wife, assisting at births on remote farms and becoming involved in the local politics, that makes the historical events of 'Outlander' so very believable and engaging to read.