14th October, 1633

Length of reign:

3 years and 10 months (Feb 1685 - Dec 1688)

James first married Anne, daughter of the Earl of Clarendon. Through his marriage he had many children, although only Mary and Anne survived.  James's first wife died in 1671. He then married Mary of Modena, a Roman Catholic. He changed to Roman Catholicism too. In 1688, the couple had a son, also named James. He was heir to the throne according to the line of succession, whereby a male inherited before a female. The prospect of a Catholic heir to the throne was to have a serious impact on the politics of the time.

James did not enjoy many highlights in his short reign as king. He probably had his best times before his accession. Having escaped to France during the Civil War, he joined the French army and later fought for the Spanish. After his brother became king, James was made Lord High Admiral and successfully commanded the navy during the Anglo-Dutch war. When New Amsterdam in North America was captured from the Dutch, it was renamed in James's honour. As he was then Duke of York, it was renamed New York, and it remains so to this day.

On becoming king in 1685, James successfully dealt with potential opposition which threatened to overthrow him. The Duke of Monmouth was defeated in the South West of England and the Duke of Argyll was defeated in Scotland.

James II's main problem was that he believed he could act in any way he wanted, without taking notice of political opposition and the mood of his people. 

When James II came to the throne in 1685 he had a strong and supportive Parliament and money to spend, and the threat to his throne from two invasions had been defeated.

His problems began in the early 1670s, when he first converted to Catholicism and then gave up his office as Lord High Admiral under the terms of the Test Act. The Test Act said that no non-Anglicans could hold office, which included service in the army and navy. Non-Anglicans included Roman Catholics, but also Protestant Dissenters (people who were Protestants, but not necessarily Anglicans, for example Presbyterians or Baptists). 

James set out to overturn such acts and to exercise the full powers of the Crown by ignoring Parliament and the law. He tried to persuade Parliament to repeal the Test Act; it refused. He then rigged a court case, which decided that the king could do away with the law if he so wished. Armed with this verdict, James set about transforming his government.  He appointed Catholics to the Privy Council. Over 250 Justices of the Peace were replaced by Catholics, and Catholic officers were appointed to posts in the standing army. As Parliament had refused to change the Test Act, James was effectively ignoring the law.

In 1687 James introduced the Declaration of Indulgence. This restored rights to Catholics and Dissenters. James felt that he could form an alliance between Dissenters and Catholics, which would give him a strong support base to overturn the Anglicans who were against him. People who protested against the Declaration of Indulgence were sent to prison. When, in 1688, James forced all the Anglican clergy to read the Declaration in their churches, he met with opposition. Seven bishops were marched to the Tower. He had treated the very framework of British society with distaste by ignoring Parliament and attempting to overthrow the Church of England.

The final blow was the birth of a son to James and his second wife, the Roman Catholic Mary of Modena. This suddenly changed everything.  Previously the heir to the throne had been Mary, James's eldest daughter from his first marriage.  Mary was a Protestant and was married to William of Orange, another Protestant. The birth of a Roman Catholic son meant that James's work might be continued. 

The 'immortal seven' politicians sent an invitation to William of Orange to come to England to protect his wife's right to the throne. In November 1688, William arrived in the South West. James attempted to go back on himself to ease public opinion. He agreed to make changes, but more and more towns declared their support for William. James fled on 10 December 1688, was captured, but escaped again on 23 December, this time successfully making it to France. 

Five months later, in May 1689, James landed in Ireland and raised an army. William's forces were brought to Ireland in 1690, and at the Battle of the Boyne (1 July) James was defeated. He escaped to France once more and lived there the rest of his life, dying in 1701.

The Glorious Revolution was so-called because no blood was spilt and no battles fought in the removal of one king and the installation of another. This was in marked contrast to events some 40 years earlier, when disagreement with Charles I had led to years of civil war and the death of the king. The accession of William and Mary as joint monarchs and James's escape to France was achieved with no bloodshed.

The effects of the Glorious Revolution were widespread. The Bill of Rights and the Act of Settlement were passed afterwards, and barred Roman Catholics from holding the British throne. The Act of Settlement lays down the line and the method of succession still in place today.

James's son, James Francis Edward Stuart, was recognised by the French as the rightful heir to the British throne. He became known as the 'Old Pretender' and his followers were known as Jacobites. He enjoyed some pockets of support in Britain, especially in Scotland. In 1715 he attempted an uprising from Scotland, but was defeated. His son, Charles Edward Stuart, otherwise known as 'Bonnie Prince Charlie', also regarded himself as the rightful heir to the throne. In 1745, he attempted an invasion, again through Scotland. He succeeded in getting as far south as Derby, before retreating. The Jacobite forces were finally defeated at Culloden Field in 1746. This was the last battle fought on British soil.