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Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat (c. 1667 – 9 April 1747, London), was a Scottish Jacobite and Chief of Clan Fraser of Lovat, who was famous for his violent feuding and his changes of allegiance. In 1715, he had been a supporter of the House of Hanover, but in 1745 he changed sides and supported the Stuart claim on the crown of the United Kingdom. Lovat was among the Highlanders defeated at the Battle of Culloden and convicted of treason against the Crown. He was the last man in Britain to be publicly beheaded, on Tower Hill, London. ==Early life== He was the second son of Thomas Fraser, known as “Thomas of Beaufort’, third son of Lord Lovat. Simon was tutored privately at his home near Beauly, followed by a period at grammar school in Inverness. He was a capable student, becoming fluent in English, French and Gaelic, as well as gaining a solid grounding in Latin. Political events affected the course of his life even when in his teens. James II, the joint monarch of England and Scotland, had recently married Mary of Modena, an Italian Roman Catholic. James converted to Catholicism, and chose to raise their newly born child James in the same faith. He fled to France in 1688 to escape the political controversy arising from this, expecting parliament at Westminster to relent on the succession issue. Instead, they invited Mary Stuart, the Protestant daughter of his first marriage, and her Dutch husband, William of Orange, to take the throne. Scotland found itself divided over the issue of the rightful monarch. The Scottish parliament in Edinburgh voted to support William and Mary. However, many highlanders remained loyal to James, and in 1689 an army led by the Earl of Dundee was raised to restore him to the throne. They and their supporters became known as Jacobites, after the Renaissance Latin name for James, ''Jacobus''. Both Simon and his elder brother Alexander, then a student at Aberdeen University, were at heart Jacobites and both left to join this army. Simon was soon captured and sent home. Alexander went on to fight against the government forces at the battle of Killiecrankie, where he was wounded and later died of his wounds.〔 Whilst the Frasers fought as Jacobites, their clan chief, Hugh, the 9th Lord Lovat, was supporting the other side. Hugh had been brought up at the home of his maternal uncle, Sir George McKenzie of Tarbat. This made him amenable to the ambitions of the McKenzie clan. A marriage was subsequently arranged between him and Amelia Murray, daughter of the Marquis of Atholl and the sister of Lord John Murray. Lord John was a rising force in Scottish politics. Together, the McKenzies and Murrays would seek to dominate the Fraser clan, as well as securing the profits from their lands. When the Jacobites raised their standard, Lovat’s McKenzie uncle and Murray brother-in-law told him to stay home and keep his men there as well. He lacked the personal authority to achieve this, and the Fraser clansmen flocked to Alexander's side instead.〔 Around the age of 20 Simon, now the Master of Lovat following his brother’s death, left home to study at King's College, Aberdeen. Upon graduation in 1695 he went to Edinburgh and undertook to recruit three hundred men from his clan to form part of a regiment in the service of William and Mary, in which he himself was to hold a command. This was done more to ensure a body of well-trained soldiers under his influence than loyalty to the government. However, he was given a lieutenancy, not a captainship, to his disgust.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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