Today's monarch of England is the much maligned, seldom studied James II. A rather dreary fellow by most accounts, but there's more to "Jimmy 2" than meets the eye. (Bet you didn't know one of the biggest cities in the world was named after him, did you?)
The last of the Catholic Kings, here comes James II, the 4th Stuart monarch.
- Born in 1633 to Charles I, James was the middle living son, after his big brother, Charles II.
- Was an unremarkable boy in general, although it is said he looked up to his older brother very much.
- Was appointed the Lord High Admiral of England, Ireland, and Scotland... but he didn't do a very good job at it, as he was only 3 years old at the time.
- Spent much of his youth in hiding during the English Civil Wars. When Oxford was surrounded, he was spirited out of the city in disguise.
- At the end of the Civil War, James went with his older brother to France, to live in exile. As he grew older, he showed a love for military matters, even joining the French Army. He was noted to be gallant, brave, and trustworthy.
-Charles II entered an agreement with Spain against France. Although he disagreed, James was kicked out of the French Army. Still longing for military service, James defected to Spain as well, and joined the Spanish army.
- While in the Spanish Army, James befriended not only Spanish but also Irish Catholics. Though this bothered his brother and his brother's advisers, James began to entertain the notion of converting from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism.
- James, while not as notorious as his brother, was a fairly randy young man in his own right. He was well known for his inability to disguise his ogling of young, shapely girls.
- However, he suddenly fell head over heels in love with Anne Hyde, the daughter of Charles II's chief minister. In an attempt to seduce her, he promised to marry her. She was soon pregnant, and wanting him to make good on his promise. This was a problem, as she was a commoner, and it was simply distasteful to the nobility for this marriage to take place. Even so, they were simply in love... James eloped with Anne, much to the consternation of her father and the king.
- Though his wife and he got along well, James WAS a royal, and as such was expected to keep mistresses. Though he had many children, he only had 2 children with his wife that survived, daughters Mary and Anne. Tragically, his wife died in 1671, leaving James heartbroken.
- Unlike many nobles, James took an active hand in being a father. He doted on his daughters, and was much admired for his thoughtfulness when it came to his family.
- As the Lord Admiral of Britain, James played a major role in his brother's wars against other European powers on the high seas, especially against the Dutch. After the Dutch surrendered, Charles II gave his brother land in "New England." The province of New Netherland and port city of New Amsterdam were renamed New York, in honor of James, the Duke of York. They still carry the name to this day.
- When the great fire of London struck in 1666, the mayor was incapable of doing his duty and saving the city. In response, Charles II appointed James to be the acting Mayor. James did an exemplary job in combating the fire and saving lives, and he and Charles II enjoyed a wave of public adoration for their efforts.
- Catholicism was beginning to take hold in Parliament again, so the Protestants introduced the "Test Act." All members of government and military had to renounce Catholicism and deny the sacrament. James refused to do this, instead renouncing his Admiralty and his lands in the 13 Colonies. This made it readily apparent that he was indeed Catholic, and from then on, he made no effort to hide it.
- James remarried Mary of Modena, a Catholic Italian princess. When she came to England, many considered her a secret agent of the Pope. (Yes, people had crazy conspiracy theories back then, too.) Charles II was not opposed to the marriage personally, but had to publicly speak out against it in order to maintain stability. Regardless, James and Mary were very much in love, and very much Catholic. This caused concern on all levels.
- Charles ordered that James's daughters were to be raised Protestant, and arranged for them to marry Protestant husbands. James did not attempt to stop this, even though he was reluctant, as it put a rift in between him and his daughters.... (which would come back to haunt him later.)
- When the false Popish Plot to kill Charles II was "uncovered," waves of hysteria swept the nation, and James was accused of masterminding the whole affair with the Queen. It was rubbish, of course, but suspicion was rife. James tried to smooth over the whole affair by relinquishing all power he had in the government, but many in Parliament demanded he be excluded from succession in favor of the Duke of Monmouth, Charles II's illegitimate son. Charles opposed this, even dissolving Parliament in favor of his brother. James moved to Brussels, then Scotland. This helped, but Parliament would forever be against James from this point on.
- In 1683, the Rye House Plot to restore the Commonwealth failed, and the public sentiment for Charles and even James became more favorable. It seemed that no matter how much people hated each other over religion, NO ONE was willing to do away with the royal family again. The Duke of Monmouth, who had plotted with the conspirators against his own father, was exiled, and James was allowed to return to England.
- Two years later, Charles II died. Prince James became James II of England and James VII of Scotland. Surprisingly, there was little opposition to the Catholic James taking the throne... at first.
- Now king, James realized what a daunting task lay ahead. James was more serious and less flashy than his brother, but the former King had left his brother with debts, and the Whig party was staunchly against him. James didn't have the gift of gab that Charles did, and frequently was unwilling to compromise with Parliament. This turned even friendly MPs against him.
- James Fitzroy, the ever problematic Duke of Monmouth, now took this opportunity to attack England, claiming his birthright as the son of Charles II. A contingent of Scots also attacked at the same time, under the Duke of Argyll. Strangely, both had rallied forces in the Netherlands... where James' daughter and her husband, William of Orange, reigned. Mary and William had done nothing to stop these rebellions from staging from The Netherlands into England.
- James was able to defeat both rebellions, and the Duke of Monmouth was executed. However, James was now deeply suspicious of The Netherlands, and his own daughter Mary.
- James decided the best way to secure England was to create a standing army. This was a deeply unpopular move back then, unlike today. Soldiers were dangerous, tended toward rebellion, and were notorious as threatening to the female population. This was seen as heavy handed and tyrannical by the people, who were sometimes forced to quarter these soldiers.
- To make matters worse, most of the leaders of said standing army were Catholic, as per James's appointment... this was seen as a direct threat to Anglicanism... the people had not forgotten "Bloody Mary," and had NO intention of letting another Catholic monarch put them to death by the thousands!
- James, undaunted, continued to fill his government and army with Catholics. More and more of the country turned against him... even his closest advisers began to defect.
- James removed any and all punishments for Catholics in England. A new wave of anti-catholic fear swept the nation, and this time, James was the center of it.
- James, ill advised by close Catholic friends, decided to administer his coup-de-grace. He demanded that the Test Act and all exclusionary laws be swept from England. Parliament openly turned against king James, and the country went into mutiny.
- The final straw came when Queen Mary gave birth to a son, James Francis Edward Stuart, in 1688. Now James had an heir... a Catholic heir. Parliament and the people now faced a REAL return of Catholicism, and they didn't like it. James also knew that a showdown was coming.
- James desperately tried to fire anyone who stood against him, but he had gone too far. Parliament asked his daughter, Mary, to invade alongside her husband, William of Orange. The king of France, Louis XIV, pledged to help James, but James thought his own forces were more than adequate, and feared that landing French troops in England would be unpopular. (He was probably correct in that assumption.)
- His nephew and son in law, William of Orange, invaded in 1688. Nearly all of James's staff, advisers, and even his own daughter Anne, defected and joined William. James was left with nearly no army, no friends, and no chance of holding on to his country or kingship.
- James fled London, throwing the great seal of England into the Thames river on the way out. He was captured, but William had no desire to kill his wife's father/his own uncle, so he let James go. James fled to France and became a pretender to his own throne. Since he had thrown the seal away, Parliament declared that he had abdicated the throne. This entire fiasco was called the "Glorious Revolution," since almost no one had come to harm, and the whole thing was accomplished without a single major conflict.
- Parliament then passed a law, naming Mary and William as Co-Rulers. Both were Protestant, but William was Dutch, not English, and therefore could not be king. Mary would not take the throne on her own, as she felt that William had been the one who took the throne from her father, not her.
- Parliament further passed a law stating that from this time onward, no Catholic could ever ascend the throne of England, nor could a monarch of England ever marry a Catholic. This law still stands today.
- James was subsequently removed from office in Scotland, but Catholic Ireland still loved him. Ireland invited James to return to the British Isles, and lead an invasion to reclaim his throne. However, William of Orange, now William III, personally fought James's forces at the Battle of the Boyne, and James fled not only the battlefield, but the entire country. Ireland would bear the brunt of England's wrath, and "James the Shit," as the Irish rebels now called James, would never return. (Although his memory would raise him to almost messianic levels among the poor Irish in later years.)
- James spent the rest of his unhappy life as a ward of the King of France. He was offered the kingdom of Poland, but refused it, as he believed that he was only ever the King of England, and he would have that or nothing else.
- James died of a brain hemorrhage in 1701. He left instructions to his son to reclaim the throne of England and give Catholics a real chance to thrive there. This would lead to the Jacobite wars for the next several decades.
- James was revered by the Catholic Church upon his death. Many parts of his body were sent to convents and churches as relics, though he was never canonized. James died bitter and frustrated at his treatment, and generally loathed as a Catholic in England.
Could England ever get over the constant feuding started by Henry VIII between Catholics and Protestants? Find out next time, when we chronicle the reign of William III and Mary II!
The last of the Catholic Kings, here comes James II, the 4th Stuart monarch.
- Born in 1633 to Charles I, James was the middle living son, after his big brother, Charles II.
- Was an unremarkable boy in general, although it is said he looked up to his older brother very much.
- Was appointed the Lord High Admiral of England, Ireland, and Scotland... but he didn't do a very good job at it, as he was only 3 years old at the time.
- Spent much of his youth in hiding during the English Civil Wars. When Oxford was surrounded, he was spirited out of the city in disguise.
- At the end of the Civil War, James went with his older brother to France, to live in exile. As he grew older, he showed a love for military matters, even joining the French Army. He was noted to be gallant, brave, and trustworthy.
-Charles II entered an agreement with Spain against France. Although he disagreed, James was kicked out of the French Army. Still longing for military service, James defected to Spain as well, and joined the Spanish army.
- While in the Spanish Army, James befriended not only Spanish but also Irish Catholics. Though this bothered his brother and his brother's advisers, James began to entertain the notion of converting from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism.
- James, while not as notorious as his brother, was a fairly randy young man in his own right. He was well known for his inability to disguise his ogling of young, shapely girls.
- However, he suddenly fell head over heels in love with Anne Hyde, the daughter of Charles II's chief minister. In an attempt to seduce her, he promised to marry her. She was soon pregnant, and wanting him to make good on his promise. This was a problem, as she was a commoner, and it was simply distasteful to the nobility for this marriage to take place. Even so, they were simply in love... James eloped with Anne, much to the consternation of her father and the king.
- Though his wife and he got along well, James WAS a royal, and as such was expected to keep mistresses. Though he had many children, he only had 2 children with his wife that survived, daughters Mary and Anne. Tragically, his wife died in 1671, leaving James heartbroken.
- Unlike many nobles, James took an active hand in being a father. He doted on his daughters, and was much admired for his thoughtfulness when it came to his family.
- As the Lord Admiral of Britain, James played a major role in his brother's wars against other European powers on the high seas, especially against the Dutch. After the Dutch surrendered, Charles II gave his brother land in "New England." The province of New Netherland and port city of New Amsterdam were renamed New York, in honor of James, the Duke of York. They still carry the name to this day.
- When the great fire of London struck in 1666, the mayor was incapable of doing his duty and saving the city. In response, Charles II appointed James to be the acting Mayor. James did an exemplary job in combating the fire and saving lives, and he and Charles II enjoyed a wave of public adoration for their efforts.
- Catholicism was beginning to take hold in Parliament again, so the Protestants introduced the "Test Act." All members of government and military had to renounce Catholicism and deny the sacrament. James refused to do this, instead renouncing his Admiralty and his lands in the 13 Colonies. This made it readily apparent that he was indeed Catholic, and from then on, he made no effort to hide it.
- James remarried Mary of Modena, a Catholic Italian princess. When she came to England, many considered her a secret agent of the Pope. (Yes, people had crazy conspiracy theories back then, too.) Charles II was not opposed to the marriage personally, but had to publicly speak out against it in order to maintain stability. Regardless, James and Mary were very much in love, and very much Catholic. This caused concern on all levels.
- Charles ordered that James's daughters were to be raised Protestant, and arranged for them to marry Protestant husbands. James did not attempt to stop this, even though he was reluctant, as it put a rift in between him and his daughters.... (which would come back to haunt him later.)
- When the false Popish Plot to kill Charles II was "uncovered," waves of hysteria swept the nation, and James was accused of masterminding the whole affair with the Queen. It was rubbish, of course, but suspicion was rife. James tried to smooth over the whole affair by relinquishing all power he had in the government, but many in Parliament demanded he be excluded from succession in favor of the Duke of Monmouth, Charles II's illegitimate son. Charles opposed this, even dissolving Parliament in favor of his brother. James moved to Brussels, then Scotland. This helped, but Parliament would forever be against James from this point on.
- In 1683, the Rye House Plot to restore the Commonwealth failed, and the public sentiment for Charles and even James became more favorable. It seemed that no matter how much people hated each other over religion, NO ONE was willing to do away with the royal family again. The Duke of Monmouth, who had plotted with the conspirators against his own father, was exiled, and James was allowed to return to England.
- Two years later, Charles II died. Prince James became James II of England and James VII of Scotland. Surprisingly, there was little opposition to the Catholic James taking the throne... at first.
- Now king, James realized what a daunting task lay ahead. James was more serious and less flashy than his brother, but the former King had left his brother with debts, and the Whig party was staunchly against him. James didn't have the gift of gab that Charles did, and frequently was unwilling to compromise with Parliament. This turned even friendly MPs against him.
- James Fitzroy, the ever problematic Duke of Monmouth, now took this opportunity to attack England, claiming his birthright as the son of Charles II. A contingent of Scots also attacked at the same time, under the Duke of Argyll. Strangely, both had rallied forces in the Netherlands... where James' daughter and her husband, William of Orange, reigned. Mary and William had done nothing to stop these rebellions from staging from The Netherlands into England.
- James was able to defeat both rebellions, and the Duke of Monmouth was executed. However, James was now deeply suspicious of The Netherlands, and his own daughter Mary.
- James decided the best way to secure England was to create a standing army. This was a deeply unpopular move back then, unlike today. Soldiers were dangerous, tended toward rebellion, and were notorious as threatening to the female population. This was seen as heavy handed and tyrannical by the people, who were sometimes forced to quarter these soldiers.
- To make matters worse, most of the leaders of said standing army were Catholic, as per James's appointment... this was seen as a direct threat to Anglicanism... the people had not forgotten "Bloody Mary," and had NO intention of letting another Catholic monarch put them to death by the thousands!
- James, undaunted, continued to fill his government and army with Catholics. More and more of the country turned against him... even his closest advisers began to defect.
- James removed any and all punishments for Catholics in England. A new wave of anti-catholic fear swept the nation, and this time, James was the center of it.
- James, ill advised by close Catholic friends, decided to administer his coup-de-grace. He demanded that the Test Act and all exclusionary laws be swept from England. Parliament openly turned against king James, and the country went into mutiny.
- The final straw came when Queen Mary gave birth to a son, James Francis Edward Stuart, in 1688. Now James had an heir... a Catholic heir. Parliament and the people now faced a REAL return of Catholicism, and they didn't like it. James also knew that a showdown was coming.
- James desperately tried to fire anyone who stood against him, but he had gone too far. Parliament asked his daughter, Mary, to invade alongside her husband, William of Orange. The king of France, Louis XIV, pledged to help James, but James thought his own forces were more than adequate, and feared that landing French troops in England would be unpopular. (He was probably correct in that assumption.)
- His nephew and son in law, William of Orange, invaded in 1688. Nearly all of James's staff, advisers, and even his own daughter Anne, defected and joined William. James was left with nearly no army, no friends, and no chance of holding on to his country or kingship.
- James fled London, throwing the great seal of England into the Thames river on the way out. He was captured, but William had no desire to kill his wife's father/his own uncle, so he let James go. James fled to France and became a pretender to his own throne. Since he had thrown the seal away, Parliament declared that he had abdicated the throne. This entire fiasco was called the "Glorious Revolution," since almost no one had come to harm, and the whole thing was accomplished without a single major conflict.
- Parliament then passed a law, naming Mary and William as Co-Rulers. Both were Protestant, but William was Dutch, not English, and therefore could not be king. Mary would not take the throne on her own, as she felt that William had been the one who took the throne from her father, not her.
- Parliament further passed a law stating that from this time onward, no Catholic could ever ascend the throne of England, nor could a monarch of England ever marry a Catholic. This law still stands today.
- James was subsequently removed from office in Scotland, but Catholic Ireland still loved him. Ireland invited James to return to the British Isles, and lead an invasion to reclaim his throne. However, William of Orange, now William III, personally fought James's forces at the Battle of the Boyne, and James fled not only the battlefield, but the entire country. Ireland would bear the brunt of England's wrath, and "James the Shit," as the Irish rebels now called James, would never return. (Although his memory would raise him to almost messianic levels among the poor Irish in later years.)
- James spent the rest of his unhappy life as a ward of the King of France. He was offered the kingdom of Poland, but refused it, as he believed that he was only ever the King of England, and he would have that or nothing else.
- James died of a brain hemorrhage in 1701. He left instructions to his son to reclaim the throne of England and give Catholics a real chance to thrive there. This would lead to the Jacobite wars for the next several decades.
- James was revered by the Catholic Church upon his death. Many parts of his body were sent to convents and churches as relics, though he was never canonized. James died bitter and frustrated at his treatment, and generally loathed as a Catholic in England.
Could England ever get over the constant feuding started by Henry VIII between Catholics and Protestants? Find out next time, when we chronicle the reign of William III and Mary II!