It is frequently misunderstood to have been between Scotland and England, or Highlanders and Lowlanders, but now it appears the truth about the Battle of Culloden is finally getting through.
An independent study has concluded that the National Trust for Scotland's £9.5m Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre is successful in teaching visitors about the reality of the 1746 battle.
State-of-the-art technology puts the visitor in the middle of the action, with Jacobite troops and their Hanoverian enemies under the Duke of Cumberland descending on the audience in a 360-degree "immersion" film, which has been described as "an 18th-century Saving Private Ryan".
Throughout, it is presented as a civil war that even divided families, and it is stressed there were large numbers of Gaelic-speaking clansmen from across the Highlands and Islands on both sides.
Culloden's story is told by real characters from the time, voiced by actors, who provide audio accompaniment to the tour of the centre. They include Charles Robertson, an agricultural tenant from near Blair Atholl who was forced to enlist with the Jacobites in 1745 by his landowner Lady Lude; Mrs Amy Gordon, who was forced to billet Cumberland's officers in Aberdeen; and Alexander MacDonald, a Jacobite captain from Loch Shiel.
Now a research paper by Ronnie Cramond, a former chairman of the Scottish Museums Council, has examined the effectiveness of the visitor centre at getting the story across to the public.
He looked in detail at the Trust's aims when creating the centre, in terms of telling the story of the battle, debunking the myths that have built up around it, and providing visitors with an informative and enjoyable experience.
It is published as the centre marks the 266th anniversary of the battle on Monday, and today hosts its first "Local Assembly", at which NTS members and the public can learn more of the Trust's work. Mr Cramond will present his findings in a session at the assembly.
The study confirms the centre is achieving its aims of improving visitors' knowledge and understanding of the battle, its context and its legacy.
Mr Cramond said "Almost all visitors surveyed said that the centre had increased their knowledge significantly. Many highlighted new knowledge that had specifically surprised them about the battle, such as: that the battle was not between Scotland and England; that members of the same family fought on opposing sides; that it was part of a wider international military and political struggle."
He said he had conducted 143 interviews at the centre in 2011 and early 2012.
He also said the NTS deserved credit for "dispelling the all-too-common misconceptions about the battle."
NTS chief executive Kate Mavor said: "Culloden is a haunting place with a terrible story to tell, one which is of such significance to many people from many nations.
"The Trust has tried to bring the realities of this period to life for visitors, helping them to understand the true complexity of these often simplified events and their tragic consequences."
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