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How can Walter Scott's politics be explored by studying Rob Roy and its themes?

Rob Roy is set during a particularly tumultuous time in Scottish history, that of the Jacobite Rising of 1715. The Jacobites supported the replacement of sitting monarch George I, the Elector of Hanover, with James Francis Edward Stuart, also known as the Old Pretender. The Stuarts had been ousted from power with the Glorious Revolution of 1688 because of James II's Catholicism. Walter Scott displays nostalgia for the Old Scotland throughout his works, particularly the Bride of Lammermoor and his Waverly series, but he also recognizes the positive qualities in the idea of Great Britain, which you can see in Jeanie's journey in the Heart of Mid-Lothian, and was an advocate of the Union. He was also a conservative and proud member of the Tory party. 



You might consider noting the instances of betrayal as they relate to politics. Rashleigh, for example, though purporting to stand with the Jacobites, ultimately betrays them for his own gain. Likewise with Diana's father, which tarnishes the Jacobite cause by associating it with two morally reprehensible characters. Conversely, inheritance plays a major role in the work. Frank accedes to Osbaldistone Hall, rather than any of the Hildebrands, and he also marries Diana, who had previously been bound to marry a Hildebrand. We might look at this as a stand in for the right kind of person (Frank) and the wrong kind of person (the Hildebrand family), and use that to illustrate that Scott support and is attempting to enamor the reader with Frank's ideas and political leanings. 

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