James VII and II and the Revolution of 1688-9

Aims

This course aims to:

• examine James’s life and career in the context of his times
• explore the nature of his beliefs and motives through a range of primary and secondary sources

Course content

The course will examine James’s life and reign in the context of his times; assess the nature of his character, beliefs and motives, and how these impacted on his kingship; and consider the reasons for his failure and the legacy of his reign. Particular attention will be given to James’s character and policies as King, the nature of his downfall and the Revolution Settlement that followed it, and the impact of these events on England, Scotland and Ireland. Throughout the classes, there will be extensive reference to primary sources as well as to the complex historiography of the Stuart monarchy.

What to expect on this course

The course will be taught through a series of interactive classes in which extensive reference will be made to extracts from primary sources.

Course sessions

1. Introduction: background and context
   This first session will set the scene for James’s reign by examining the political and religious context of the Restoration, including anti-popery and the unsuccessful attempts to exclude James from the succession because of his Catholicism. We will look at the smooth nature of his accession in February 1685. 
2. James’s policies as King, 1685-7
   This session will examine James’s use of the royal dispensing and suspending powers to try to improve conditions for his Catholic co-religionists. We will look at the growing disquiet that these policies provoked, but also at how reluctant many of the Crown’s strongest supporters were to contemplate any kind of resistance.
3. Year of revolution: 1688
   Here we will examine how two events brought matters to a head in 1688: the trial of Seven Bishops for opposing James’s Declaration of Indulgence, and the birth of a male heir to James and his wife. These events prompted a cross-party invitation to William of Orange to intervene to ensure a free Parliament, an intervention that led James and his family to flee to France.
4. The Revolution Settlement, 1688-9
   This session will examine the settlement that was put in place in England after James’s flight. William and Mary were proclaimed as joint monarchs and accepted the Bill of Rights. This and other measures strengthened Parliament and imposed a range of limitations on royal powers, especially in the financial sphere.
5. The Revolution in Scotland and Ireland
   This session will examine the course that the revolution took in Scotland and Ireland, and compare and contrast this with what happened in England. In both Scotland and Ireland, William had to overcome support for James by military force, and the Jacobite threat was not defeated until 1691-2.

Learning outcomes

As a result of the course, you will gain a greater understanding of the subject and you should be able to:

• analyse the nature of James II’s character and beliefs 
• assess the extent to which he was the architect of his own downfall
• understand the wider significance and impact of the ‘Glorious Revolution’

Required reading

Smith, David L, A History of the Modern British Isles, 1603-1707: The Double Crown (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1998) ISBN: 0631194029 (paperback)

Tapsell, Grant and Southcombe, George, Restoration Politics, Religion and Culture (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010) ISBN: 9780230574458 (paperback)