King James Ii

King James II of England was a monarch of the Stuart Dynasty. The last Roman Catholic monarch of England, he was overthrown during the Glorious Revolution in 1688. As the younger son of Charles I, he succeeded to the throne of England on the death of his brother, Charles II. He was also King James VII of Scotland.

James was born in 1633 and at the age of three was made Lord High Admiral of the English navy. Tension between Parliament and the Crown escalated during his youth, and when the English Civil War broke out, James was secreted to the Netherlands. He spent the years from 1648 to 1660 in exile, returning to England with the Stuart Restoration, when he was proclaimed Duke of Albany and Duke of York. King James II research papers have been written by history writers. Paper Masters will produce a custom written project following your guidelines.

King James II and Catholicism

While his older brother reigned, James actively carried out the office of Lord High Admiral, earning wealth and naval victories over the Dutch. He was forced to resign the office when his conversion to Catholicism became public. Attempts to exclude James from the line of succession led Charles II to dissolve Parliament on several occasions.

James II became king in 1685, but soon faced several rebellions. In reaction, James enlarged England's standing army, alarming many Englishmen. His appointment of Catholics to government positions, angering the Anglican majority. In 1688, English nobles invited William of Orange and his wife Mary (James' daughter) to become monarchs, forcing James to flee to France.