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Treaty of Dover
Following war with the Dutch in 1665, during which the English Naval fleet was all but destroyed. Fearing this would leave England in a vulnerable state, and open to invasion by France, Charles II approached the French King, his cousin Louis XIV, to negotiate an alliance. Using his sister, Henrietta, who was married to Louis’ brother Philippe, Duc d’Orleans, as a negotiator, Charles agreed a secret treaty, whereby he would convert and declare himself a Catholic, at a date convenient to Charles, and assist Louis in a war against the Dutch, in return for an annual pension and a lump sum payment. Charles bought himself time for the conversion, explaining…
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Mary, Queen of Scots Part III- Prisoner Queen
Mary, Queen of Scots was in a world of hurt. Her husband, Lord Darnley, had been murdered and she was being implicated in his death. It was well known the relationship was on the rocks. He was constantly drunk and kept company with whores. The last straw was his involvement in the death of her secretary, David Rizzio. His house in Kirk of the Field had exploded, but Darnley’s body had been found strangled in the garden. It could have caused nothing but relief for Mary. However, suspicion for his murder fell on several nobles, including James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell. Mary had consulted Bothwell and a council of nobles…
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Mary, Queen of Scots Part 2- A match made in hell
On paper it was a glittering match. She was a beautiful queen, and he was a handsome lord. They were both descendants of Henry VII, and combined the Catholic claim to the throne of England into one claim. However, the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley turned into a disaster. Mary was eighteen years old when she arrived in Scotland for the first time since she was five years old. She was the Queen, but her mother Marie of Guise had held the fort as Regent so to speak. Mary was raised a pampered and doted on Princess of France. Eventually she became France’s Queen,…
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Mary, Queen of Scots- Part I
The rift between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots had been around before the Treaty of Edinburgh, but it certainly brought it into sharper focus. Many Catholics regarded Mary as the rightful Queen of England as she was the granddaughter of Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII’s sister. This made her a legitimate relative of Henry, whereas Elizabeth was illegitimate because his marriage to Anne Boleyn was not recognized by the Catholic Church. The terms of the marriage contract between Mary and the dauphin said the crowns of France and Scotland would be united for any children of the marriage, strengthening the Auld Alliance. If Mary could claim the throne of…
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James II
James was born on October 14th 1633, at St James Palace, the second surviving son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France. He received his initial education with older brother Charles, and the Duke of Buckingham’s sons George and Francis Villiers through tutors. At age three he was appointed Lord High Admiral of the Navy, an honorary title, to be followed by the Order of the Garter in 1642 and his title the Duke of York in 1644. As his father’s dispute with Parliament grew and civil war broke out, James remained in Oxford, a Royalist stronghold. However in 1646, following the successful Parliamentarian siege of Oxford and the…
