Person    | Male  Born 14/10/1633  Died 5/9/1701

King James II

Categories: Race Issues, Royalty

Countries: France

England's last Roman Catholic king, James II of England but James VII of Scotland. Born in St James's Palace and designated Duke of York until he ascended the throne in 1685 on the death of his brother Charles II. Married Anne Hyde. He was Catholic and persecuted the Protestants. New York City was named for him.

This may be overstating the case: 2016 - we were contacted by Antone Martinho who writes “It is completely inaccurate to suggest that he persecuted Protestants, when his reign was fundamentally pro-toleration.” We are far from experts on James II and rely on Wikipedia which include text such as “James sent a letter to the Scottish Privy Council advocating toleration for Catholics but that the persecution of the Presbyterian Covenanters should continue….”. Antone would like this added: "However, he established toleration for the dissenting Protestants as well as Catholics, ultimately granting relief even to the Covenanters he initially opposed." This is a complex topic and we advise anyone who want to understand it to look elsewhere.

His first wife, Anne Hyde, was Protestant and produced a daughter, Mary, who was raised Protestant. James and Anne were then drawn to the Catholic faith. He converted and when Anne died in 1671 he chose a Catholic for his second wife, Mary of Modena, who produced his first surviving son, James. This meant that both the Protestant faction and the Catholic faction each had a potential ruler to promote.

His daughter Mary married the Protestant William of Orange who effectively invaded England thus deposing James, in 1689, the Glorious Revolution. James fled and died in France, leaving his son James (1688 – 1766) as, according to some, the rightful heir to the throne. That James's son, Charles, born 1720, became known as the 'Young Pretender', making his father the 'Old Pretender'.

The only other statue in England of James II is at University College, Oxford.

As Duke of York he was the largest investor in, and was the first governor (for 16 years) of the Royal African Company which became one of the biggest in the Atlantic slave trade, achieving a 74% of the market.

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
King James II

Commemorated ati

Hanbury Hall - white plaque - removed

Christ Church Hall Built in 1719 as a French Hugeonot {sic} church it stood b...

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James II statue

Sculpted by Grinling Gibbons or one of his pupils this is considered a very f...

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Monarchs - board in Wine Office Court

When they add Charles III we wonder if they will remember to also increment t...

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Monarchs - board on Fleet Street

This board reads as if the pub has been rebuilt in each of the monarchs' reig...

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Savoy - eagle

SH On part of this site in 1640 was built Worcester House where lived Edward...

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Show all 6

Other Subjects

Black Plaque Project

Black Plaque Project

An extension of the Nubian Jak Community Trust plaque scheme. It recognises black people / people of colour who were prominent in British history. The plaques are temporary, but it is planned to co...

Group, Race Issues

2 memorials
Dr John Lettsom

Dr John Lettsom

Physician, philanthropist, abolitionist and entomologist. Born British Virgin Islands into a Quaker family. Aged 6 was sent to England to be educated. Came to London in 1766 to train at St Thomas' ...

Person, Medicine, Philanthropy, Race Issues, Virgin Islands

2 memorials
Sir Francis Galton

Sir Francis Galton

Biostatistician, human geneticist and eugenicist. Born at The Larches, Sparkbrook, Birmingham, a half-cousin of Charles Darwin. An enthusiastic traveller, particularly in Africa. Darwin's publicati...

Person, Exploring, Race Issues, Science, Africa

1 memorial
Robert Aske

Robert Aske

Son of a draper. Worked as a haberdasher; 1643 became a Freeman of the Haberdashers Company; 1666 elected an Alderman of the City of London. He became Master of the Haberdashers' Company. But the r...

Person, Philanthropy, Race Issues

1 memorial
Trevor Huddleston

Trevor Huddleston

Bishop and archbishop. Born Ernest Urban Trevor Huddleston in Bedford. Ordained in 1937, he became the Bishop of Masai, Tanzania, then the Bishop of Stepney, London, and eventually the second Archb...

Media, Race Issues, Religion, South Africa

1 memorial