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James II 1633-1701
James was the Duke of York from 1634 until
1685. After that, he was the king of Great Britain from 1685 - 1688.
James II, a member of the
Stuart family, was a no-nonsense man, however, always
ready to chase the occasional skirt.
The Family of
James II
James's father was
Charles I. His
mother was Henrietta Maria. James was the second surviving
son. James had another brother,
Charles II.
In 1660, James married Anne
Hyde,
daughter of the earl of Clarendon.
James had two daughters: Mary
II
and
Anne. In 1677, Mary married William III (William
of Orange.)
When James's first wife, Anne, died,
James moved on and married Mary
of Modena in 1673.
James II and the
English Civil Wars
James lived in Oxford from 1642 until 1646, when the city
surrendered. Parliament then confined him to St James's Palace.
In
April 1648, James escaped to the Netherlands.
In 1649, he met up
with his mother in France and then joined, get ready, the French army
of all clubs. That was in April 1652. He fought along with loyal Frenchmen under
their famous general, the
Vicomte de Turenne.
More about the
English Civil Wars here.
James II and Charles
II
1656 was a head scratcher for James. His brother Charles II allied
with Spain against France. Now what to do. He had to change
sides and join the Spanish army, which he did. He was made commander
in the Spanish army and fought at the Battle of the Dunes in
1658.
Events developed and brother Charles
was made new king of England. Under Charles's reign,
James got a job in the navy. In this capacity, James became very interested in the
matters of the colonies. James organized to get New Amsterdam from
the Dutch in 1664. In honor of James, the city was re-named New
York.
By the way,
What is the Restoration?
James II and the Dutch Wars
James was an active navy man in the Second (1665 - 1667) and Third
(1672 - 1674) Anglo-Dutch
War.
James II and the Glorious Revolution 1688-1689
Before the Glorious Revolution, James was king. After the
revolution, James was dethroned. In his place,
William III
and
Mary II (his daughter) ruled.
James fought William in the
Jacobite
War and here is the map
Ireland 1689 - 1691 Jacobite War
Click map to enlarge
Much later, in 1745, James' grandson,
Bonnie Prince Charlie,
would lead the Jacobite Rebellion.
More History
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