On This Day

King James II, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, flees to France from William of Orange

James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 1688 – 1 January 1766), also known as the Old Pretender, was the senior House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1701 until...

James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 1688 – 1 January 1766), also known as the Old Pretender, was the senior House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1701 until his death in 1766. The only son of James II of England and his second wife, Mary of Modena, he was Prince of Wales and heir until his Catholic father was deposed and exiled in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. His Protestant half-sister Mary II and her husband William III and II became co-monarchs. As a Catholic, he was subsequently excluded from the succession by the Bill of Rights 1689.

James claimed the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland when his father died in September 1701.

Historical Significance

James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 1688 – 1 January 1766), also known as the Old Pretender, was the senior House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1701 until his death in 1766.

Key People

James II

Events Before

  1. Isaac Newton's great work, "Principia," is published by the Royal Society in England, outlining his laws of motion and u

    Isaac Newton's great work, "Principia," is published by the Royal Society in England, outlining his laws of motion and universal gravitation

  2. The Acropolis in Athens is attacked by the Venetian army in an attempt to expel the Turks, damaging the Parthenon

    The Acropolis in Athens is attacked by the Venetian army in an attempt to expel the Turks, damaging the Parthenon

  3. Explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, searching for the mouth of the Mississippi River, is murdered by his o

    Explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, searching for the mouth of the Mississippi River, is murdered by his own men

  4. American-English official Elihu Yale becomes Governor of Fort St. George, Madras, the East India's Company's major tradi

    American-English official Elihu Yale becomes Governor of Fort St. George, Madras, the East India's Company's major trading port in India

  5. Battle of Mohács: Ottoman invaders of Hungary are routed by forces of the Holy Roman Emperor under Charles of Lorraine

    Battle of Mohács: Ottoman invaders of Hungary are routed by forces of the Holy Roman Emperor under Charles of Lorraine

Events After

  1. Prince William of Orange, the future King William III of Britain, summons the Convention Parliament to discuss ruling jo

    Prince William of Orange, the future King William III of Britain, summons the Convention Parliament to discuss ruling jointly with his wife, Mary, the daughter of the exiled King James II

  2. Parliament of England adopts the Bill of Rights, establishing the rights of Parliament and placing limits on the Crown

    The constitution of the United Kingdom comprises the written and unwritten arrangements that establish the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a political body.

  3. Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō leaves Edo on his epic 150-day journey to Honshu Island in Japan, which he writes about in th

    Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō leaves Edo on his epic 150-day journey to Honshu Island in Japan, which he writes about in the literary masterpiece "Oku no Hosomichi" (The Narrow Road to the Deep North)

  4. Battle of Killiecrankie: Jacobite Scottish Highlanders under Viscount Dundee defeat royalist forces under General Hugh M

    Battle of Killiecrankie: Jacobite Scottish Highlanders under Viscount Dundee defeat royalist forces under General Hugh Mackay

  5. Lord Halifax becomes Speaker of the English House of Lords

    Lord Halifax becomes Speaker of the English House of Lords

More from the 1680s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on December 23, 1688?
James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 1688 – 1 January 1766), also known as the Old Pretender, was the senior House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1701 until his death in 1766. The only son of James II of England and his second wife, Mary of Modena, he was Prince of Wales and heir until his Catholic father was deposed and exiled in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. His Protestant half-sister Mary II and her husband William III and II became co-monarchs.
Why is King James II, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, flees to France from ... significant?
James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 1688 – 1 January 1766), also known as the Old Pretender, was the senior House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1701 until his death in 1766.
Who was involved in King James II, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, flees to France from ...?
Key figures include James II.

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