BATTLE re-enactors will take up swords this weekend for a new event exploring the historic Jacobite Risings.

Highlands stronghold Fort George will host the two-day “Stuarts’ Struggle” event, with costumed actors recounting the 60 years of civil war and unrest.

Living history camps and guided tours will help teach visitors about the risings of 1689, 1715 and 1745 as Stuart supporters fought to restore the exiled King James VII and his descendants to the throne.

Fort George was built in response to the Jacobite threat, commissioned by the government following the disastrous Battle of Culloden to put a stop to any further show of arms.

The military base was strategically positioned and held more than 80 guns, with accommodation for a garrison of 2,000 redcoats.

Fran Caine of Historic Environment Scotland said: “The Jacobite Risings form an important period in Scottish history.

“Spanning around 60 years, these events shaped the Scotland, and in particular the Highlands, of today and their legacy is still visible in battlefields and defences – such as Fort George.

“The Stuarts’ Struggle event, which is new for this year, will offer an insight into the three main rebellions, as visitors discover the history behind this period of unrest and civil war in 18th-century Scotland.

“There will also be opportunities to discover what life could have been like for Jacobite soldiers during the Risings of 1689, 1715 and 1745 as well as learning about Fort George itself, which was built by the government in a strategic move to stop any further risings by the Jacobites.”