James II

James II of England was the last Roman Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of Scotland, England and Ireland.  The strongly Protestant Parliament distrusted his religious policies and nascent despotism. James was deposed in a bloodless coup called the Glorious Revolution. He was replaced by his Protestant daughter and son-in-law, Mary II and William III, who became joint rulers in 1689. In an attempt to recover his throne in 1689, James was defeated at the Battle of the Boyne. He lived out his life in France under the protection of King Louis XIV. His “Jacobite” supporters unsuccessfully backed his grandson “Bonnie Prince Charlie.“