What is the highland clearences?

The Highland Clearances (Scottish Gaelic: Fuadach nan Gàidheal 'the clearing of the Gaels') was the evictions of thousands of Scottish Highlanders between the 18th and 19th centuries. It saw the transformation of much of the Highlands from a traditional way of life (clan-based, Gaelic-speaking, engaged in subsistence agriculture and livestock raising) into a modern economy centered on sheep and cattle farming and forestry, and resulted in a severe decline of Highland culture and language.

The Clearances were not a single event, but rather a series of interrelated processes that took place over several decades in different parts of the Highlands. The main drivers of the Clearances were:

- The growing demand for wool and beef in the British market, which led landowners to convert their land to sheep and cattle farms, displacing the tenant farmers who had previously lived there.

- The rise of the agricultural revolution, which made it more profitable to farm large areas of land with new machines and techniques.

- The British government's policy of "improving" the Highlands, which involved the introduction of new agricultural practices, the building of roads and infrastructure, and the encouragement of emigration to the colonies.

- The aftermath of the Jacobite rebellions of 1745 and 1795, which led to the disarming of the Highland clans and the destruction of their traditional way of life.

The Clearances had a devastating impact on the Highlands. Thousands of people were forcibly removed from their homes, and many were forced to emigrate to other countries, such as Canada and the United States. The Clearances also led to a decline in the Gaelic language, as well as traditional Highland culture and customs.