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James II of England Facts & Worksheets

James II of England was the last Roman Catholic King of England and reigned for only three years, from 1685–1688

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James II was the last Roman Catholic King of England and reigned for only three years, from 1685–1688, because he wanted to bring Catholicism back to England. His Protestant daughter and her husband replaced him after the Glorious Revolution.

See the fact file below for more information on James II of England or alternatively, you can download our 27-page James II of England worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE 

  • James II, named after his grandfather James I and VI, was born on October 14, 1633, at St. James Palace in London. 
  • He was the second surviving son of King Charles I and his French wife, Henrietta Maria.  
  • He was baptized by the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, then appointed as Lord High Admiral at age three. 
  • He and his older brother, the future King Charles I,  were educated by private tutors along with the two sons of the Duke of Buckingham, George, and Francis Villiers. 
  • He was designated Duke of York at birth but formally became one in January 1644.

THE FIRST ENGLISH CIVIL WAR 

  • In August 1642, the long-running dispute between King Charles I and the Parliament resulted in the First Civil War. 
  • James spent the entire war period in Oxford until the city surrendered in June 1646. 
  • The Parliament took him to London and held him and his younger siblings Henry, Elizabeth, and Henrietta in St. James Palace. In 1648,  the Parliament considered making James the King after the negotiations with King Charles I and his heir failed. 
  • His father ordered James to escape. In April of the same year, with the help of Joseph Bampfield, he managed to cross the North Sea to the Hague. He then rejoined his mother in France in early 1649.

LIFE IN THE ARMY 

  • He joined the French army in 1652 and served in four campaigns. French General Vicomte de Turenne commended him for his courage and ability. 
  • However, when his brother allied with Spain against France, he was obligated to change sides. He commanded the right wing of the Spanish army at the Battle of Dunes in June 1658. 
  • He also became friendly with Peter and Richard Talbot, two Irish Catholic brothers in the Spanish Army. 
  • He was about to accept an Admiral position in the Spanish Navy. However, he decided to decline when his brother, Charles II, was proclaimed King of England following the Restoration Settlement.
  • He became the Duke of Albany in Scotland and was appointed as Lord High Admiral, where he was in charge of major reform in naval expansion and training. 
  • He led the navy during the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch wars. Although his leadership was commendable, his strategies were questionable. In the Test act of 1673, he was removed from the position of Lord High Admiral but remained to work in the Admiralty.
  • In 1664, King Charles awarded James II  an American territory between the Delaware and Connecticut Rivers. 

CONVERSION TO CATHOLICISM 

  • James was an avid supporter of the Earl of Clarendon, Edward Hyde, whose daughter Anne he married in September 1660. 
  • Two months later, Anne gave birth to their first child, who died in infancy. The same happened to five sons and daughters. They only had two surviving daughters, Mary, born on April 30, 1662, and Anne, born on February 6, 1665. 
  • James and his wife became drawn to the Catholic faith. In 1669, he secretly converted to Roman Catholicism. His brother, Charles II strongly opposed his conversion. 
  • He was seen attending Anglican services until 1676. He also continued to be partial to the Anglican Church, such as welcoming the prospect of England reentering the European war on the side of the Dutch and allowing his daughters to be raised as Protestants according to his brother’s request. He also allowed his daughter, Mary, to become engaged to a Protestant, William of Orange. 
  • However, two years after his wife died in 1671, he married the 15- year-old Catholic and Italian Princess Mary of Modena. The British people became doubtful of the union as they considered the princess an agent of the Papacy. 

BECOMING KING 

  • King Charles II died in 1685 from a stroke. The King did not have any legitimate children, so James acceded to his brother’s throne and became James II of England and Ireland and James VII of Scotland. He and his wife were crowned at Westminster Abbey on April 23, 1685. 
  • James II faced two rebellions soon after his coronation. His nephew, James Scott, the Duke of Monmouth and illegitimate son of Charles II and Lucy Walter, led the first rebellion. 
  • He claimed that as the King married his mother, he should be the rightful heir to the throne. King Charles himself insisted that he only had one wife. The Duke of Monmouth was defeated in the Battle of Sedgemoor on July 6, 1685. 
  • The second rebellion was in Scotland and led by Archibald Campbell, the Earl of Argyll. He never posed a significant threat to James as his army had less than 300 men. Campbell was captured at Inchinnan on June 18, 1685.

THE GLORIOUS REVOLUTION

  • William of Orange and James II had formed a bitter relationship after the former did not help his father-in-law in the two rebellions, which originated in William’s jurisdiction. 
  • James re-issued the Declaration of Indulgence, an act that suspended the laws against Catholics and Protestants alike. It led to open resistance from Anglicans. Seven Anglican bishops petitioned the King to declare his declaration illegal. They were tried for rebellion.
  • The British became highly concerned when Queen Mary gave birth to a Catholic son and heir, James Francis Edward. Before the birth, they thought it was just a temporary phenomenon as King James only had two Protestant daughters as heirs. Conspiracy theorists claimed that the newborn son was another child smuggled into the Queen’s bedchamber to ensure that the Catholic reign would continue. 
  • Because of these concerns, a group of seven nobles called ‘the Immortal Seven’ negotiated with William, Prince of Orange, to attack England. They wanted the stadtholder to overthrow King James II. 
  • William arrived in Brixham, England on November 5, 1688, but James II was ready to defend his throne. However,  many Protestant officers deserted him and joined William before he reached Brixham.  
  • The King returned to London and declared that he would free Parliament but actually planned how to escape. James tried to flee to France but was captured at Kent. He successfully escaped on December 23 and sought refuge with his cousin and ally, Louis XIV. 

ATTEMPTS TO REGAIN THE THRONE 

  • James II found his supporters in Ireland as most Irish people were Jacobites and supported James II because of his 1687 Declaration of Indulgence. 
  • The deposed King’s supporters controlled much of Ireland and the Irish Parliament. His cousin, Louis XIV, King of France, sent 6,000 French troops to Ireland. 
  • William and James’ forces engaged at the Battle of the Boyd on July 1, 1690. After William defeated James, the former king fled to France and did not return.
  • James lived in the royal château of Saint-Germain-en-Laye with his wife and children. He also had another child in 1692. 
  • There had been several assassination attempts to bring James  II back to the throne, but none were successful. 
  • He lived as an austere penitent during his last years, writing a memorandum to advise his son how to lead England, saying that Catholics should have significant positions in his government. He died on September 16, 1701, after to a brain hemorrhage. 

James II of England Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about James II of England across 27 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about James II of England who was the last Roman Catholic King of England and reigned for only three years, from 1685–1688.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • James II of England Facts
  • The King’s Life 
  • From Brother and Son to King
  • An Unlikely King
  • Military Time 
  • The King’s Religion
  • Friends and Foes
  • The Declaration of Indulgence
  • People’s Opinions
  •  Is It Fair?
  • The Warming-Pan Baby 

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Use With Any Curriculum

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