The Old Pretender
On 10 June 1688, St James’s Palace was the site of one of the most controversial births in British royal history. The infant was James Francis Edward Stuart, the only...
Christmas in Exile
Better exiled than beheaded, I guess. On December 23, 1688, James II of England finally got the hint that he was no longer welcome and fled to Paris. James, a...
Mary of Modena
On October 5, 1658, in the pretty town of Modena in Italy, Mary Beatrice d’Este, future wife of James II and last Stuart Queen of England, was born. She was...
Monmouth’s Rebellion
On July 15, 1685, Monmouth’s Rebellion ended when James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and illegitimate son of Charles II, was executed in London for attempting to depose his uncle, James...
The Glorious Revolution
On February 13, 1689, Mary Stuart and her husband, William of Orange, got an impressive early Valentine’s Day gift: the English throne. The two were declared co-rulers of the country...
James II
On February 6, 1685, James II ascended the throne on the death of his elder brother, Charles II. James would be the last Catholic ruler off England; his religion, along...