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 James II and VII, and as such laid claim to the English and Scottish thrones (as James III and VIII) from the death of his father in 1701, and was publicly proclaimed by 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 Scots, 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 declared himself King, with the title of James III and VIII and recognised as such by France, Spain, the Papal States and Modena. All of these states refused to recognise William III, 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 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 "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.

Contents

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles

Honours

Ancestors

See also

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles

★ '10 June 1688 – 2 March 1702': The Prince of Wales (and Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay)

★ '2 March 1702 – 1 January 1766': James Francis Edward Stuart

★
★ ''Jacobitism'', '16 September 1701 – 1 January 1766': ''His Majesty'' King James III and VIII

Honours

★ 'KG': Knight of the Garter, ''1692 – 2 March 1702''

Ancestors

See also

★ Monument to the Royal Stuarts

★ Touch Pieces The cure of Scrofula or the King's Evil

★ Correspondence with James the Pretender (High Treason) Act 1701 Parliament's response to his claim to the throne