James II
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.
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.
Most serious of all, James tried to emulate and form an alliance with the powerful Catholic king of France, Louis XIV. This brought 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."
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.
Further reading
- Macaulay, Thomas Babington. The History of England from the Accession of James II, 5 vols. (1848) vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4, vol. 5, the greatest of the narratrive histories; makes James a terrible villain.
- Miller, John. ‘’James II (2000) excerpt and text search
- Miller, John. The Glorious Revolution, (2nd ed. 1997) excerpt and text search
- Mullett, M. James II and English Politics 1678-1688 (1993) excerpt and text search
- Pincus, Steve. 1688: The First Modern Revolution (2009) excerpt and text search
- Speck, W.A. James II (2002)
See also
Further reading
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