James Francis Edward Stuart

Prince James Francis Edward Stuart or Stewart, the Old Pretender, (10 June 1688 – 1 January 1766) was the son of the deposed King James II of England and VII of Scots, and as such laid claim to the English and Scottish thrones (as James III of England and VIII of Scotland respectively) from the death of his father in 1701, and was publicly proclaimed by King Louis XIV of France as the rightful heir to the English and Scottish thrones.

From the moment of his birth, on 10 June 1688, at St. James's Palace, the prince was the subject of controversy. He was born to the reigning King James II of England and VII of Scotland and his Roman Catholic second wife, Mary of Modena. From his first marriage, the king had two adult daughters who had been brought up in the Protestant faith, and as long as there was a possibility of one of them succeeding him directly, his opponents saw his rule only as a temporary setback. When people began to fear that Mary would produce a son and heir, a movement grew to replace James by force with his son-in-law, William III of Orange.

When the young prince was born, a false rumour was immediately spread that the call for a "warming-pan" had been the pretext for a substitution, the real baby having allegedly been born dead. Within six months of his birth, Mary of Modena on 10 December left London and took the child to France for safety, and his father was fighting unsuccessfully to retain his crown.

The prince was brought up in France, where, recognised by King Louis XIV of France as the rightful heir to the English and Scottish thrones, he became the focus for the Jacobite movement. On his father's death in 1701, he was declared King, with the title of James III of England and VIII of Scotland and recognised as such by France, Spain, the Papal States and Modena. All of these states refused to recognise King William III, Queen Mary II or Queen Anne as the legitimate British sovereign.

Having been delayed in France by an attack of measles, James attempted an invasion, with an unsuccessful attempt to land at the Firth of Forth on 23 March 1708, but his French ships were driven back by the fleet of Admiral Sir George Byng. Had he renounced his Roman Catholic faith, he might have succeeded to the throne after the death of his half-sister Anne, but he refused to do so. As a result, in 1714, a German Protestant became King George I of Great Britain.

French forces were defeated, and King Louis XIV of France was forced to accept peace with England and her allies. He signed the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 that, amongst other conditions, required him to expel James from France.

In the following year, the Jacobites instigated "The 'Fifteen" Jacobite rising in Scotland, aimed at restoring "King James III and VIII" to the throne. In 1715, James finally set foot on Scottish soil, following the indecisive Battle of Sheriffmuir, but he was disappointed by the strength of support he found. Instead of carrying through the plans for a coronation at Scone, he returned to France, sailing from Montrose. He was not welcomed back, because his patron, Louis XIV, was dead and the government found him an embarrassment. The Pope offered him refuge in Rome, where he lived for the rest of his life.

On 3 September 1719, James Francis Edward Stuart married Maria Clementina Sobieska (1702–35), granddaughter of the Polish king, John III Sobieski. They had two sons:

• Charles Edward Stuart, (31 December 1720 – 31 January 1788), aka "Bonnie Prince Charlie"
• Henry Benedict Stuart, (11 March 1725 – 13 July 1807), Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church

Following James's failure, attention turned to his handsome and charismatic son, "Bonnie Prince Charlie", whose rebellion of 1745 came closer to success than his father's. With the failure of this second rebellion, however, the Stuart hopes of regaining the British throne were effectively destroyed. James died in Rome on 1 January 1766, and is buried in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

Ancestors

See also

• Monument to the Royal Stuarts
• Touch Pieces The cure of Scrofula or the King's Evil

es:Jacobo Francisco Estuardo fr:Jacques François Stuart nl:Jacobus Frans Edward Stuart ja:ジェームズ・フランシス・エドワード・ステュアート no:James Francis Edward Stuart pl:Jakub Franciszek Edward Stuart pt:James Francis Edward Stuart ru:Иаков III (претендент) sv:Jakob Edvard Stuart

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