| James II and VII | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Peter Lely | |
| King of England, Scotland and Ireland | |
| Reign | 6 February 1685 – 23 December 1688 |
| Coronation | 23 April 1685 |
| Predecessor | Charles II |
| Successors | Mary II and William III & II |
| Born | 14 October 1633 (N.S.: 24 October 1633) St James's Palace, Westminster, England |
| Died | 16 September 1701 (aged 67)[a] (N.S.) Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France |
| Burial | |
| Spouses | |
| Issue more... | |
| House | Stuart |
| Father | Charles I of England |
| Mother | Henrietta Maria of France |
| Religion |
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| Signature |  |
James II and VII (14 October 1633 O.S. – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685, until he was deposed in the 1688 Glorious Revolution. The last Catholic monarch of England, Scotland, and Ireland, his reign is now remembered primarily for conflicts over religion. However, it also involved struggles over the principles of absolutism and divine right of kings, with his deposition ending a century of political and civil strife by confirming the primacy of the English Parliament over the Crown.[4]
James succeeded to the throne with widespread support, largely due to a reluctance to undermine the principle of hereditary succession, and the belief that a Catholic monarchy was purely temporary. However, tolerance of his personal views did not extend to Catholicism in general, and both the English and Scottish parliaments refused to pass measures viewed as undermining the primacy of the Protestant religion. His attempts to impose them by decree met with opposition, and as a result, it has been argued it was a political principle, rather than a religious one, that ultimately led to his removal.[5]
In June 1688, two events turned dissent into a crisis. Firstly, the birth of James's son and heir James Francis Edward Stuart on 10 June raised the prospect of a Catholic dynasty, excluding his Protestant daughter Mary and her husband William III, Prince of Orange, who was also his nephew. Secondly, the prosecution of the Seven Bishops was seen as an assault on the Church of England, and their acquittal on 30 June destroyed his political authority. Ensuing anti-Catholic riots in England and Scotland led to a general feeling that only James's removal could prevent another civil war.[6]
Leading members of the English political class invited William to assume the English throne. When William landed in Brixham on 5 November 1688, James's army deserted and he went into exile in France on 23 December. In February 1689, a special Convention Parliament held James had "vacated" the English throne and installed William and Mary as joint monarchs, thereby establishing the principle sovereignty derived from Parliament, not birth. James landed in Ireland on 14 March 1689 in an attempt to recover his kingdoms, but, despite a simultaneous rising in Scotland, in April a Scottish Convention followed England in ruling that James had "forfeited" the throne, which was offered to William and Mary.
After his defeat at the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690, James returned to France, where he spent the rest of his life in exile at Saint-Germain, protected by Louis XIV. While contemporary opponents often portrayed him as an absolutist tyrant, some 20th century historians have praised James for advocating religious tolerance, although more recent scholarship has tended to take a middle ground between these views.
- ^ Somers, John. Tracts. Vol. XI 1809–1815. pp. 339–342.
- ^ Browning, Andrew, ed. (2001). English Historical Documents 1660–1714. Routledge. pp. 136–138.
- ^ Miller (2000), p. 240.
- ^ Quinn, Stephen. "The Glorious Revolution". Economic History Association EH.net. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- ^ Harris, Tim; Taylor, Stephen, eds. (2015). The Final Crisis of the Stuart Monarchy. Boydell & Brewer. pp. 144–159. ISBN 978-1-783-27044-6.
- ^ Harris (2006), pp. 264–268.
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