Today in 1633 James II – the last Catholic king of England, Scotland and Ireland – was born. James was the second son of Charles I and the French princess Henrietta Maria and never expected to be king.
James spent much of his young life in exile because of the English Civil War, which led to his father’s execution. England became a Commonwealth without a monarchy. Whilst James’ older brother Charles continued attempts to retake his throne, James spent years serving in the French army. It wasn’t until 1660 that the monarchy was restored, and the brothers returned to England as king and heir.
At just 30-years-old, it was expected that the new king would marry and father sons. But though Charles had numerous children from his many affairs, he and his wife remained childless. With no legitimate son, the younger brother James remained heir.
Suspicions grew around James, and it became public knowledge that James and his wife, Anne Hyde, had secretly converted to Catholicism some years earlier. When Anne died, James married Mary of Modena – a Catholic Italian princess viewed by many as an agent of the pope. This was unacceptable to the Protestant ruling class – including Charles II himself, who insisted his brother's daughters be raised as Protestants.
Efforts were made to exclude James from the succession, but these were unsuccessful. Charles II died in 1685, and James became king. Despite everything, he came to power with little opposition – although this did not last and James had to defend his crown against a rebellion led by Charles’ eldest illegitimate son. When James’ wife Mary gave birth to a son, the worst fears of many English Protestants were realised – this was the establishment of a new Catholic dynasty and was incredibly unpopular.
The people looked for an alternative ruler and promised support to James’ eldest daughter Mary, who was married to William, Prince of Orange – both Protestants. William’s army was welcomed by many and anti-Catholic rioting broke out. Defections to William’s side were widespread and included James’ other daughter Anne. James, fearing for his own life, escaped to France. Parliament declared that his desertion of the country meant that he had abdicated his throne, and William and Mary became joint sovereigns.
Images: Anne Hyde, Duchess of York; King James II by Sir Peter Lely, c.1661-1662, NPG 5077, © National Portrait Gallery, London.