The house of Stuart ruled England, Scotland and Ireland from 1603 until 1714. They ruled during the English Civil War as well as the Restoration period of Charles II.
Upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603, the English Throne passed to the House of Stuart. Linked to the House of Tudor through Mary, Queen of Scots and her Grandmother, Margaret Tudor, the House of Stuart would rule England and Scotland from 1603 until 1714.
James VI of Scotland and I of England
Born in 1566, the first Stuart King, James became at one year old, upon the forced abdication of his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1603 James inherited the throne of England when his cousin, Queen Elizabeth I died. James traveled south to England, where he remained most of his life. He never took to the lavish English court, preferring to dress simply and hunt. He married Anne of Denmark, and had three surviving children, Henry, Charles and Elizabeth. He died in 1625.
Charles I
Born in 1600 in Scotland, Charles I was not born to be king. He was a second son just like his Tudor great-great uncle, Henry VIII. However, when his older brother, Henry, died unexpectedly in 1612, Charles became the heir apparent. He married Henrietta Maria of France. They had seven children together. Charles holds the distinction of the only English king to be beheaded by his own people. He lost to Oliver Cromwell and the Roundheads during the English Civil War and was executed in 1649.
Charles II
Charles II spent much of his life on the run, through England, Scotland and France. After being successfully restored to the English throne in 1660, Charles went about restoring order and prosperity to his kingdom. He married Catherine of Braganza in 1662 but was never even remotely faithful to her. Known as the “Merry Monarch” Charles II kept a long line of mistresses, including the greedy Barbara Villiers and had a string of illegitimate children, even outdoing his great- great grandfather, James V of Scotland. Despite his obvious fertility, Charles failed to father a legitimate heir.
James II
A second son of Charles I, James II was the last Catholic monarch in England, Scotland and Ireland. Born in 1633, James spent a bulk of his early life in exile in France and later in Spain. His religious preference created a rift between him and his older brother, Charles II. But in the end, Charles converted to Catholicsim on his deathbed and wholly supported his brother’s accession to the thrones of England and Scotland in 1685. The English people were not so thrilled to have Catholic monarch, after being led by Protestant rulers for over 100 years. After just three years they ousted James in favor of his daughter Mary and her husband, William of Orange.
Mary II & William III
Mary and William reined jointly from 1685 until Mary’s death in 1694. William reigned solo until his own death in 1702. Mary, being of English birth and a protestant, was fairly popular. William, who was a grandson of Charles I, was seen first and foremost a foreigner. After his wife’s death he involved England in costly foreign wars, which only increased the public’s dislike of him.
Anne
The last Stuart monarch, Anne inherited the throne of England and Scotland from her brother-in-law in 1702. During her reign, England became involved in the War of the Spanish Succession. Anne relied heavily on advice of her ministers, leading to a further decrease in the power of the monarch. Upon her death in 1714, there was a succession crisis in England. The throne passed over several closer relations to the Queen (who were Catholic) in favor of a distant (and Protestant) cousin, George I, beginning the House of Hanover.
Sources:
Fraiser, Antonia. The Stuarts. Berkley: University of California Press, 2000.
Oram, Richard. The Kings & Queens of Scotland. Gloucestershire: Tempus, 2006.
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