British Monarchy: The House of Stuart

In 1603, after the death of Queen Elizabeth, the House of Tudor was left without an heir. The throne of England was passed onto Elizabeth's cousin, James VI from the House of Stuart, who had also been the sitting king of Scotland since 1567. This marked another major transition in English history, with the Union of Crowns. As the sitting king of England and Scotland, as well as lordship over Ireland, the three kingdoms were merged into a united kingdom known as Great Britain. However the Kingdom of Great Britain was not officially recognized until Queen Anne signed the Treaty of Union in 1706.  

King James reigned over all three kingdoms for 22 prosperous years known as the Jacobean Era. It was a continuation of the Elizabeth Golden Age, with flourishing culture inspired from the Renaissance. The colonization of the New World was expanding Britain's empire and fortune. However there were still civil and religious conflicts at bay. Such as the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, an assault against the monarchy by English Catholics such as Guy Fawkes and Henry Garnet. While this act of treason was subdued, it marked an early precursor to the approaching English Civil War.

In 1642, the General Oliver Cromwell lead a successful uprising against the monarchy to establish a parliament. The English Civil War lasted from 1642-1653 and resulted in the dissolution of the monarchy, the execution of King Charles I, and the establishment of the Commonwealth of England. Oliver Cromwell served as Lord Protector of the new government, for 5 years until his death in 1658, where he was succeeded by his son Richard Cromwell. Richard however only served for one year and due to his lack of authority, the monarchy was eventually restored in 1660 by King Charles II. 

The House of Stuart thus returned to the throne, however there was still instability over the throne in the years to follow. Much of this had to due with King James II's conversion to Catholicism. This resulted in heavy opposition from the majority of Protestants in England, and resulted in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. King James II was deposed while Queen Mary and William III of Orange ruled jointly over Scotland and England. As a result, Catholics were no longer allowed to sit on the throne of England. In 1707 Queen Anne solidified the unification of Great Britain with the Parliament signings of the Acts of Union. Thus the Kingdom of Scotland and Kingdom of England became merged into a single united kingdom known as Great Britain.

House of Stuart (1603-1714)

King James

Reign: 1603-1625  

Dynasty: House of Stuart

Marriage: Anne of Denmark

Children: Henry, Elizabeth, Charles I

Historical Bio: He was the son of Mary Queen of the Scots, and succeeded his mother to the throne in 1567. He was the cousin to Queen Elizabeth of England, and following her death without an heir, he assumed the throne of England in a joint rulership of the two kingdoms. This marked a new age for English history and the foundation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. However peace and cultural prosperity still continued into Jame's reign from the Elizabethan Age. This era became known as the Jacobean era, of which the king himself was an avid patron of the arts. However he still dealt with numerous conflicts during his reign, such as the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, a failed plot by Guy Hawkes and Catholic extremists to blow up the House of Parliament. The continued tension between Catholics and Protestants had spread throughout Europe at this time, resulting in the Thirty Years War, from 1618 to 1648, of which England took a part in. King James also dealt with rising tensions with the House of Parliament, and left his son Charles, with many domestic and foreign problems.

King Charles 

Reign: 1625-1649

Dynasty: House of Stuart

Marriage: Henrietta Maria of France

Children: Charles II, Mary, James II, Elizabeth, Anne, Henry, Henrietta

Historical Bio: He was the second son of King James, and succeeded his father to throne in 1625 as King of Scotland, Ireland, and England. He however inherited rising tensions on all fronts; against Parliament, Catholics, Scottish rebellions, Irish rebellions, Spain, and the ongoing Thirty Years War. He however continued to strengthen his powers as monarch, which would eventually lead to dissension among Parliament and the on start of the English Civil War. Lead by General Oliver Cromwell and his New Model Army, the Parliament "Roundheads" waged war against King Charles' Royalists "Cavaliers" from 1642-1651. The war had three stages to it, however was concluded with Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Worcester. In 1649 King Charles was executed and Oliver Cromwell ushered in a new government known as the Commonwealth of England. 

This fall of the English monarchy lasted for 10 years and has become known as the Interregnum. During this period Oliver Cromwell served as Lord Protector over England, Scotland, and Ireland. After his death in 1659, his youngest son Richard Cromwell was unable to secure his father's new government. By 1660 the monarchy was eventually restored by King Charles' eldest son Charles II. Oliver Cromwell's dead body was dug up and subjected to a posthumous execution, as a symbol of the monarch's return to power. Oliver's son Richard spent the last of his years in exile.         

King Charles II

Reign: 1660-1685

Dynasty: House of Stuart

Marriage: Catherine of Braganza

Children: 12 illegitimate children from mistresses

Historical Bio: He was the eldest son of King Charles I, and fled the kingdom after his father was executed at the hands of Oliver Cromwell. He thus spent 9 years in exile, during the English Commonwealth. After the death of Cromwell he was peacefully welcomed back into England in the year 1660 to reclaim his throne and restore the monarchy. During this Restoration period all three kingdoms were once again united as Great Britain. However political instability continued between the monarchy and the parliament. He also dealt with a terrible plague and the Great Fire of London in 1666. As well as foreign turmoil with the Dutch, which led to Second Anglo-Dutch War from 1665 to 1667, and ultimately the loss of English territory. His conflicts with Parliament continued onto his death in 1685, at which point he converted to Catholicism. This angered the Protestant majority of England, especially when Charles' brother, James II, who was also a Catholic convert, succeeded him to the throne. 

King James II

Reign: 1685-1688

Dynasty: House of Stuart

Marriage: Anne Hyde

Children: Mary II, Anne I, James, Louisa, Henrietta, James, Henry

Historical Bio: He was the second son of King Charles I and succeeded his brother, Charles II, the throne in 1685. He was welcomed with great dissension among the nobles due to his Catholic faith and pro-France leanings. In 1688 Parliament called upon the prince of Netherlands, William of Orange, to invade England. William was the son-in-law to King James, married to his eldest daughter Mary II who was a stern Protestant. Upon the arrival of William's Dutch army, the King peacefully resigned his throne in what has become known as the Glorious Revolution of 1688. He was thus succeeded by his daughter Mary II and her husband William III of Orange. Together they ruled the Kingdom of Britain while James II spent the last of his years living in exile in France. Parliament was very pleased with this outcome and also passed legislation that a Catholic could no longer sit on the throne.  

King William III and Queen Mary II

Reign: 1689-1702

Dynasty: House of Stuart

Children: No children

Historical Bio: Following the Glorious Revolution, Queen Mary, daughter of King James II, and her husband William of Orange ruled jointly over the Kingdom of Britain. Both were devout Protestants and committed to the advancement of the Church of England as well as the Protestant Reformation that was sweeping thru Europe. They engaged in military conflicts over religion, specifically against France during the Nine Years War from 1688 to 1697. They joined a Grand Alliance of Protestant kingdoms that were able to defeat King Louis XIV's French armies and be recognized as Protestant kingdoms. Upon Mary's death in 1694 he continued his reign and strengthening of Protestantism. By 1701 he signed the Act of Settlement which recognized his sister-in-law Anne as the heir to the thrown. This act was also pivotal in relinquishing monarch power to the House of Parliament.  

Queen Anne

Reign: 1702-1714

Dynasty: House of Stuart

Marriage: Prince George of Denmark

Children: William

Historical Bio: She was the daughter of James II and succeeded her sister Mary and brother in law William to the throne in 1702. Her reign was quickly defined by tension with Spain and France, that resulted in the War of Spanish Succession from 1701 to 1714. She also dealt with growing political factions that favored either the monarchy or Parliament. In 1706 she worked with Parliament to unite the governments of Scotland and England into a single kingdom with one government. It became known as Great Britain and went into effect in 1707, as a Parliament controlled state, however still recognized the monarchy. Queen Anne however was unable to produce an heir, and therefore her House of Stuart passed over to her distant relative George from the House of Hanover. The reason for this distant heir was due to laws prohibiting Catholics to sit on the throne. George was Protestant and ushered in a new era for the House of Hanover, yet also a Parliament controlled kingdom.