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'''James II''' [1633-1701] was king of England, Scotland and Ireland 1685-1688. A member of the Stuart dynasty, he was the second son of King [[Charles I]] and succeeded his late brother [[Charles II]] to the throne.  He antagonized all the leading sectors of Britain by his plans to make Britain a Roman Catholic nation and form an alliance with the France of King Louis XIV]].  The leaders called on William of Orange, the ruler of the Netherlands to overthrow James, which happened in 1688. James went into exile in France and schemed to organize his supporters (called "Jacobites") to invade Britain and restore him to the throne. He failed.

'''James II''' [1633-1701] was king of England, Scotland and Ireland 1685-1688. A member of the Stuart dynasty, he was the second son of King [[Charles I]] and became Duke of York<ref>New York is named after him.</ref>. He succeeded his late brother [[Charles II]] to the throne.  He antagonized all the leading sectors of Britain by his plans to make Britain a Roman Catholic nation and form an alliance with the France of King Louis XIV]].  The leaders called on William of Orange, the ruler of the Netherlands to overthrow James, which happened in 1688. James went into exile in France and schemed to organize his supporters (called "Jacobites") to invade Britain and restore him to the throne. He failed.

[[File:Jamesii.jpg|thumb|200px]]

[[File:Jamesii.jpg|thumb|200px]]

==Reign==

==Reign==

James was an active Catholic who surrounded himself with Catholic advisors and dreamed of restoring Catholicism as the state religion, to the dismay of the Anglicans in the Church of England, as well as the Dissenters (other Protestants).  He greatly underestimated the deopth of anti-Catholic hatreds and fears in Britain.  James Had a long-term goal: he believed that by relaxing the harsh rules against Catholics that Britain would eventually become a Catholic Country--vastly underestimating the strength of anti-Catholicism among all ranks of the British people.  The Anglican bishops opposed his plans so he tried to form an alliance with the Protestant Dissenters against the Church of England, but the Dissenters realized his goal was to build up Catholicism. With the revocation of the [[Edict of Nantes]] by French King [[Louis XIV]] in 1784, a wave of persecuted Huguenots arrived in Britain, telling more horror stories about Catholic rule.  

James was an active Catholic who surrounded himself with Catholic advisors and dreamed of restoring Catholicism as the state religion, to the dismay of the Anglicans in the Church of England, as well as the Dissenters (other Protestants).  He greatly underestimated the depth of anti-Catholic hatreds and fears in Britain.  James Had a long-term goal: he believed that by relaxing the harsh rules against Catholics that Britain would eventually become a Catholic Country--vastly underestimating the strength of anti-Catholicism among all ranks of the British people.  The Anglican bishops opposed his plans so he tried to form an alliance with the Protestant Dissenters against the Church of England, but the Dissenters realized his goal was to build up Catholicism. With the revocation of the [[Edict of Nantes]] by French King [[Louis XIV]] in 1784, a wave of persecuted Huguenots arrived in Britain, telling more horror stories about Catholic rule.  James sent parliament home and had plans to control the next Parliament; he took royal control of many cities by canceling their charters.

Most serious of all, James tried to emulate and form an alliance with the powerful Catholic king of France, Louis XIV.  This brought [[William III|William of Orange]] into the picture, the ruler of the Netherlands. William was trying to organize a European coalition against France, and needed Britain to join.  British leaders in 1688 told William they were through with James and asked him to invade and take the throne. He did so, James fled, and William (now called William III) became king jointly with his wife [[Mary II]]. As the Protestant daughter of James II, Mary had a good claim to the throne.  This was hailed at the time, and ever since, as the "[[Glorious Revolution]]."

Most serious of all, James tried to emulate and form an alliance with the powerful Catholic king of France, Louis XIV.  This brought [[William III|William of Orange]] into the picture, the ruler of the Netherlands. William was trying to organize a European coalition against France, and needed Britain to join.  British leaders in 1688 told William they were through with James and asked him to invade and take the throne. He did so, James fled, and William (now called William III) became king jointly with his wife [[Mary II]]. As the Protestant daughter of James II, Mary had a good claim to the throne.   

The overthrow of James was hailed at the time, and ever since, as the "[[Glorious Revolution]]." [[ Edmund Burke]] set the tone for over two centuries of historiographical analysis when he proclaimed that:

James II escaped to France, where Louis XIV protected him and helped him foment a rebellion in Britain that would put James on the throne. James II died in exile in 1701.

Many historians have endorsed Burke's view, including Macaulay (1848) and more recently John Morrill, who captured the consensus of contemporary historiography well when he declared that "the Sensible Revolution of 1688—89 was a conservative Revolution." On the contrary, argues Pincus (2009), it was momentous, especially when looking at the alternative that James was trying to enact of a powerful centralized autocratic state.  England's role in Europe and the country's political economy in the 17th century refutes the view of many late-20th-century historians that nothing revolutionary occurred during the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89. Pincus says it was not a placid turn of events. In diplomacy and economics James II transformed the English state's ideology and policies. This occurred not because James II was an outsider who inflicted foreign notions on England but because foreign affairs and political economy were at the core of the English revolutionaries' agenda. The revolution of 1688-89 cannot be fathomed in isolation. It would have been inconceivable without the transformations resulting from the events of the 1640s and 1650s. Indeed, the ideas accompanying the Glorious Revolution were rooted in the mid-century upheavals. Thus, the 17th century was a century of revolution in England, deserving of the same scholarly attention that 'modern' revolutions attract.  

==Further reading==

==Further reading==

  [[File:James2-Speck.jpg|thumb|200px]]

  [[File:James2-Speck.jpg|thumb|200px]]

* [[Thomas Babington Macaulay|Macaulay, Thomas Babington]]. ''The History of England from the Accession of James II'', 5 vols. (1848) [http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/1468 vol. 1], [http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/2439 vol. 2], [http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/2612 vol. 3], [http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/2613 vol. 4], [http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/2614 vol. 5], the greatest of the narratrive histories; makes James a terrible villain.

* Miller, John. ‘’James II (2000) [http://www.amazon.com/James-English-Monarchs-Professor-Miller/dp/0300087284/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257103410&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]

* [[Thomas Babington Macaulay|Macaulay, Thomas Babington]]. ''The History of England from the Accession of James II'', 5 vols. (1848) [http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/1468 vol. 1], [http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/2439 vol. 2], [http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/2612 vol. 3], [http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/2613 vol. 4], [http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/2614 vol. 5], the greatest of the narrative histories; makes James a terrible villain.

* Miller, John. ‘’James II (2000) [http://www.amazon.com/James-English-Monarchs-Professor-Miller/dp/0300087284/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257103410&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search], solid scholarly biography

* Miller, John.  The Glorious Revolution, (2nd ed. 1997) [http://www.amazon.com/Glorious-Revolution-2nd-John-Miller/dp/0582292220/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257103761&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]

* Miller, John.  The Glorious Revolution, (2nd ed. 1997) [http://www.amazon.com/Glorious-Revolution-2nd-John-Miller/dp/0582292220/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257103761&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]

* Mullett, M. ''James II and English Politics 1678-1688'' (1993) [http://www.amazon.com/English-Politics-1678-1688-Lancaster-Pamphlets/dp/0415090423/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257103410&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]

* Mullett, M. ''James II and English Politics 1678-1688'' (1993) [http://www.amazon.com/English-Politics-1678-1688-Lancaster-Pamphlets/dp/0415090423/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257103410&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]

* Pincus, Steve. ''1688: The First Modern Revolution'' (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/1688-Modern-Revolution-Walpole-Eighteenth-C/dp/0300115474/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257104647&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]

* Pincus, Steve. ''1688: The First Modern Revolution'' (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/1688-Modern-Revolution-Walpole-Eighteenth-C/dp/0300115474/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257104647&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search], influential new interpretation

* Speck, W.A. ''James II'' (2002)

* Speck, W.A. ''James II'' (2002), solid scholarly biography

==See also==

==See also==