James II
1685: context
- James II had declared that he was a Catholic in 1673.
- He had married Mary of Modena in the same year (but no child born until
1688)
- The Exclusion Crisis (1679-81) had led to the annihilation of the Whigs and
the total political and religious domination of the Tories. This meant that
hard-line Anglicanism (i.e. the Church of England) was now firmly in place.
- Charles II embraced Anglicanism in 1681 and ignored the Triennial Act so
no parliament.
- The period from 1681-85 was repressive towards dissenters and Scottish
Presbyterians.
State of the government on the succession
- As a result of fiscal reforms, the royal finances were by now in excellent
shape.
- Power was effectively handed to the Tories by Charles. They had used it to
purge the towns and cities of Whigs and Nonconformists between 1681-
85.
- Whilst it is true that Charles had ruled effectively without a parliament
after 1681, it could nonetheless be argued that Parliament remained
powerful. The strength of the Tories, and the fact that during Charles’
reign Parliament had met regularly, meant that power lay perhaps just as
much with the political nation/Parliament as it had with the Crown in the
years 1678-1685.
- It could be argued that Parliament had been turned from an event into an
institution, becoming a permanent part of the constitution that not only
met regularly, but which possessed the power to curb the aspirations of
the monarchy.
In 1685, the Whigs were in disarray. After the Rye House Plot (1683), the
main Whig leaders had either been executed or were in hiding. Their
leader, Shaftesbury, had died a few months after fleeing to Holland in
1682.
Reasons for potential opposition
• There were several potential problems which faced James in 1685:
- He was a Stuart.
- He was a known Catholic.
- He had links to France.
James’ character and outlook
- James was unquestionably stubborn and humourless, though perhaps less
inflexible.
- He was a firm believer in DROK monarchy – and also believed that neither
his father, King Charles I, nor his brother, King Charles II, had been firm
and bold enough.
- James was in favour of religious toleration – not least because he
genuinely believed that this would make a peaceful, voluntary return of
the English to Catholicism possible.
, - He was prone to place too much trust in reactionary advisors who told him
only what he wished to hear.
The other protagonists
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth
- Monmouth was the eldest illegitimate son of Charles II and was genuinely
popular in some circles on account of his fervent Protestantism.
- Monmouth was a competent military commander. He had been appointed
Commander-in-Chief of the English Army by his father in 1672 and
enjoyed some successes in the Netherlands in the Third Anglo-Dutch War,
as commander of a British brigade in the French army.
- During the Exclusion Crisis he had been seen by Shaftesbury and some of
the Whigs as a potential successor to Charles I.
- He appears to have been involved in the Rye House Plot of 1683, and was
involved in plots from his exile in Holland afterwards.
Mary of Orange
- James II’s eldest, Protestant daughter, she had been married off to William
against her wishes by Charles II in 1677.
William of Orange
- The Protestant ruler of Holland, a superb military commander, and the
sworn enemy of Louis XIV.
James’ accession
- There was little initial opposition to James’ accession, and there were
widespread reports of public rejoicing at the orderly succession.
- James wanted to proceed quickly to the coronation and was crowned with
his wife (Mary of Modena) on 23rd April 1685.
- The new Parliament that assembled in May 1685, which gained the name
of “the loyal Parliament”, was initially favourable to James; there were
barely any Whig or Nonconformist MPs - and the new King sent word that
even most of the former exclusionists would be forgiven if they
acquiesced to his rule.
- Relations between James and Parliament would be good for the first few
months of his reign, largely due to fears aroused by uprisings that had
been launched against him in Scotland and South-West England.
May 1685-87: James’ first Parliament (The Loyal Parliament)
There was a Tory landslide in the elections.
It was a Parliament of Tory High Anglicans elected because of the
overwhelming Tory popularity around the country.
James’ chief advisors were:
- George Jeffreys, 1st Barron Jeffreys of Wem - James’ Lord Chief Justice and
Lord Chancellor, responsible for the judicial repression of those who had
participated in the Monmouth rising.
- Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland - A diplomat closely linked with pro-
French policies and a confidant of James’ wife Mary, Sunderland would
advise the King until his fall from favour in October 1688.
James and Parliament
1685: context
- James II had declared that he was a Catholic in 1673.
- He had married Mary of Modena in the same year (but no child born until
1688)
- The Exclusion Crisis (1679-81) had led to the annihilation of the Whigs and
the total political and religious domination of the Tories. This meant that
hard-line Anglicanism (i.e. the Church of England) was now firmly in place.
- Charles II embraced Anglicanism in 1681 and ignored the Triennial Act so
no parliament.
- The period from 1681-85 was repressive towards dissenters and Scottish
Presbyterians.
State of the government on the succession
- As a result of fiscal reforms, the royal finances were by now in excellent
shape.
- Power was effectively handed to the Tories by Charles. They had used it to
purge the towns and cities of Whigs and Nonconformists between 1681-
85.
- Whilst it is true that Charles had ruled effectively without a parliament
after 1681, it could nonetheless be argued that Parliament remained
powerful. The strength of the Tories, and the fact that during Charles’
reign Parliament had met regularly, meant that power lay perhaps just as
much with the political nation/Parliament as it had with the Crown in the
years 1678-1685.
- It could be argued that Parliament had been turned from an event into an
institution, becoming a permanent part of the constitution that not only
met regularly, but which possessed the power to curb the aspirations of
the monarchy.
In 1685, the Whigs were in disarray. After the Rye House Plot (1683), the
main Whig leaders had either been executed or were in hiding. Their
leader, Shaftesbury, had died a few months after fleeing to Holland in
1682.
Reasons for potential opposition
• There were several potential problems which faced James in 1685:
- He was a Stuart.
- He was a known Catholic.
- He had links to France.
James’ character and outlook
- James was unquestionably stubborn and humourless, though perhaps less
inflexible.
- He was a firm believer in DROK monarchy – and also believed that neither
his father, King Charles I, nor his brother, King Charles II, had been firm
and bold enough.
- James was in favour of religious toleration – not least because he
genuinely believed that this would make a peaceful, voluntary return of
the English to Catholicism possible.
, - He was prone to place too much trust in reactionary advisors who told him
only what he wished to hear.
The other protagonists
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth
- Monmouth was the eldest illegitimate son of Charles II and was genuinely
popular in some circles on account of his fervent Protestantism.
- Monmouth was a competent military commander. He had been appointed
Commander-in-Chief of the English Army by his father in 1672 and
enjoyed some successes in the Netherlands in the Third Anglo-Dutch War,
as commander of a British brigade in the French army.
- During the Exclusion Crisis he had been seen by Shaftesbury and some of
the Whigs as a potential successor to Charles I.
- He appears to have been involved in the Rye House Plot of 1683, and was
involved in plots from his exile in Holland afterwards.
Mary of Orange
- James II’s eldest, Protestant daughter, she had been married off to William
against her wishes by Charles II in 1677.
William of Orange
- The Protestant ruler of Holland, a superb military commander, and the
sworn enemy of Louis XIV.
James’ accession
- There was little initial opposition to James’ accession, and there were
widespread reports of public rejoicing at the orderly succession.
- James wanted to proceed quickly to the coronation and was crowned with
his wife (Mary of Modena) on 23rd April 1685.
- The new Parliament that assembled in May 1685, which gained the name
of “the loyal Parliament”, was initially favourable to James; there were
barely any Whig or Nonconformist MPs - and the new King sent word that
even most of the former exclusionists would be forgiven if they
acquiesced to his rule.
- Relations between James and Parliament would be good for the first few
months of his reign, largely due to fears aroused by uprisings that had
been launched against him in Scotland and South-West England.
May 1685-87: James’ first Parliament (The Loyal Parliament)
There was a Tory landslide in the elections.
It was a Parliament of Tory High Anglicans elected because of the
overwhelming Tory popularity around the country.
James’ chief advisors were:
- George Jeffreys, 1st Barron Jeffreys of Wem - James’ Lord Chief Justice and
Lord Chancellor, responsible for the judicial repression of those who had
participated in the Monmouth rising.
- Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland - A diplomat closely linked with pro-
French policies and a confidant of James’ wife Mary, Sunderland would
advise the King until his fall from favour in October 1688.
James and Parliament
