James II of England (r. 1685-1688) reigned briefly as the king of England, Scotland, and Ireland until he was deposed by the Glorious Revolution of November 1688. James, also known as James VII of Scotland, was the fourth Stuart monarch. His pro-Catholic policies were not popular, and his short reign ended when he was forced into exile. James was succeeded by Protestant William of Orange as king, and he ruled equally with his queen, Mary II of England (r. 1689-1694), the daughter of the exiled James.
More about: James II of EnglandDefinition
Timeline
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1633James, son of Charles I of England and future James II of England, is born.
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1643James Stuart (future James II) is made Duke of York.
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1648James Sutart, Duke of York (future James II) flees England for the Netherlands and then France.
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1660James Stuart, Duke of York (future James II) is made Lord High Admiral.
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3 Sep 1660James Stuart, Duke of York (future James II) marries Anne Hyde.
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1662Mary, daughter of James II of England and future queen is born.
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30 Apr 1662Future Mary II of England is born at St. James’ Palace.
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1665James Stuart, Duke of York (future James II) commands a great naval victory over the Dutch off the coast of Lowestoft.
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1665Anne, daughter of James II of England and future queen is born.
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30 Sep 1673James Stuart, Duke of York (future James II) marries his second wife, Mary of Modena.
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1680 - 1682James Stuart, Duke of York (future James II) represents King Charles II in Scotland.
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1685 - 1688Reign of James II of England.
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23 Apr 1685James Stuart is crowned James II of England in Westminster Abbey.
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May 1685The Presbyterian Earl of Argyll leads a failed uprsing against James II of England.
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Jun 1685 - Jul 1685The Monmouth Rebellion, where James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and illegitimate son of Charles II of England, leads a failed coup to take the throne of James II of England.
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6 Jul 1685A ramshackle army led by the Duke of Monmouth is defeated by a Royalist force at Sedgemoor in Somerset.
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15 Jul 1685The Duke of Monmouth, pretender to the throne, is executed in London.
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Aug 1685The 'Bloody Assizes’ where hundreds of rebels involved in the Monmouth Rebellion are executed or deported to the Caribbean for a life of hard labour.
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Nov 1685James II of England dismisses Parliament.
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Apr 1687James II of England issues the Declaration of Indulgence which provides religious toleration for all faiths.
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1688James II of England reissues his Declaration of Indulgence.
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10 Jun 1688James Francis Edward, only legitimate son of James II of England, is born.
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Nov 1688The Glorious Revolution, which sees James II of England peacefully replaced by William of Orange and Queen Mary Stuart.
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5 Nov 1688William of Orange lands an invading army in southern England.
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23 Dec 1688James II of England flees Britian and is considered to have abidcated by Parliament.
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23 Dec 1688Parliament declares James II of England's abdication date as this day when he left English shores.
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12 Mar 1689In an attempt to regain his throne, the deposed James II of England lands in County Cork in Ireland with a French army.
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16 Dec 1689Parliament issues a Bill of Rights, which establishes a constituional monarchy in England, Scotland, and Ireland.
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Jul 1690The Battle of the Boyne in Ireland where William III of England defeats an army led by the deposed James II of England.
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1 Jul 1690William III establishes his rule over Ireland with victory against James II at the battle of Boyne.
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Feb 1692The maasacre of the MacDonalds in Scotland, effectively ending any chance of a return of King James II of England to his throne.
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Sep 1701James II of England dies in exile in St. Germain-en-Laye, France.
