The Stuart Dynasty: Monarchs of Scotland and England

Mary, Queen of Scots

Elizabeth I's first policy in Scotland was to oppose the French presence, as Mary was considered the heir to the English crown. Elizabeth sent a force to Scotland to aid the Protestant rebels. When Mary returned to Scotland, she married several nobles, the last one being very controversial. She was eventually forced to abdicate in favour of her son, James, and escaped to England.

James VI (1566–1625)

King of Scotland from 1567 and England (as James I) from 1603. He was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her second husband. He succeeded to the Scottish throne upon the enforced abdication of his mother and assumed power in 1583.

• Established a strong centralized authority.
• Married Anne of Denmark in 1589.
• Alienated the Puritans with his High Church views and Parliament with his assertion of the divine right of kings.

The Stuart Dynasty (1603–1714)

James I

King of Scotland, England, and Ireland. The kingdoms of Scotland and England were individual sovereign states with their own parliaments, judiciaries, and laws, though both were ruled by James in personal union.

Charles I (1600–1649)

Monarch of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1625 until 1649. The second son of James VI and Anne of Denmark, he became heir apparent upon the death of his elder brother. Instructed by King James in every aspect of ruling, he fought the English and Scottish parliaments in the English Civil War, maintaining a firm belief that kings were appointed by God to rule by divine right.

Charles II (1630–1685)

The eldest surviving son of Charles I. He was King of England, Scotland (from 1649 until his deposition in 1651), and Ireland from the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 until his death.

James II (1633–1701)

A Stuart monarch of England, Scotland, and Ireland who was overthrown in the 1688 'Glorious Revolution' by William III. James converted to Catholicism and took a stand against anti-Catholic moves, which did not impede his succession in 1685. His attempts to grant equality to Roman Catholics and Protestants led to conflict with Parliament. In 1689, his army in Ireland, supported by the French, was defeated by William at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

The Glorious Revolution

The Revolution of 1688 was the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians and the Dutch Stadtholder, William III, Prince of Orange.

Mary II and William III

They ruled Britain following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Mary was a devoted Protestant, and many Parliamentarians and nobles wanted her to be monarch. Their accession was an important transition towards parliamentary rule. William’s ousting of the Catholic James II ensured the primacy of the Protestant faith in Britain. The victory at the Battle of the Boyne is still celebrated annually in Northern Ireland on 12 July.