Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, early modern

Battle of Culloden

Battle of Culloden was a battle fought on 27 April 1746 at Culloden, in what is now United Kingdom. It was part of Jacobite risings, which ran from 1688 to 1746. The recorded result: Government victory. Recorded strength: 6,900–7,200 against 5,000–6,000.

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An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745, an oil on canvas, painting by David Morier depicting the 1746 Battle of Culloden
An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745, an oil on canvas, painting by David Morier depicting the 1746 Battle of Culloden. David Morier, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought27 April 1746
WhereCulloden, United Kingdom57.477N, 4.093W
OutcomeGovernment victory
BelligerentsBritish GovernmentagainstJacobites
Casualties and losses50 killed, 259 woundedand1,500–2,000 killed and wounded; 376 captured
Battlefield todayBattle of Culloden battlefieldHistoric Environment Scotland entry BTL6, 654 ha
Part ofJacobite risings1688 to 1746

Where it sits in Jacobite risings

Battle of Killiecrankie, 1689Battle of Dunkeld, 1689Battle of Cromdale, 1690Battle of Prestonpans, 1745Battle of Falkirk Muir, 1746Battle of Culloden, 174616891746Battle of Culloden, 1746
6 placed engagements of Jacobite risings in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date27 April 1746
PlaceCulloden, United Kingdom
57.477N, 4.093W
KindBattle, early modern
Strength6,900–7,2005,000–6,000
Casualties and losses50 killed, 259 wounded1,500–2,000 killed and wounded; 376 captured
Commanders
Battle of CullodenBattle of CullodenSiege of Culloden HouseSiege of Culloden House5 km57.477N, 4.093W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. The dashed outline is the registered battlefield area (Historic Environment Scotland). Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Culloden
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Culloden today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-05-16. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 154 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -1 to 547 m, 547 m of relief, steep country and today it is 45% grassland, 42% tree cover, 11% cropland.

grassland: 45%tree cover: 42%cropland: 11%built-up: 3%grassland 45%tree cover 42%cropland 11%built-up 3%
west to east, 10.0 km33 to 265 mnorth to south, 10.0 km7 to 364 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 10 times between 1429 and 1746.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1746

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: SCOT REB ARMYDefender: BR ARMY
Strength5,4009,000
Casualties1,558 (28.9%)309 (3.4%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1039
Outcomedefender won
Duration1 day
Front width0.7 km1.5 km
Attacker advanced0 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 63), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

Historic Environment Scotland registers this as the Battle of Culloden battlefield (entry BTL6), 654 hectares, under the Open Government Licence.

Battle of Culloden is one of 2,009 engagements of the 18th century in the atlas and one of 695 in present-day United Kingdom.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q651919, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Culloden, revision 1370109396, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Battlefield boundary and area from Historic Environment Scotland (Open Government Licence). Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.