Stuart Inheritance(c.1690s)
For Limerick, the story of James II is not a distant chapter in English royal history. After he lost his throne, the city became one of the principal strongholds of the Jacobite cause, enduring sieges in 1690 and 1691 before the Treaty of Limerick ended organised resistance in Ireland. The conflict that made Limerick the Treaty City grew from the religious divisions, confiscations and political rivalries that James inherited when he became king in 1685.
James came to the throne burdened by the troubled reputation of the Stuart dynasty. His grandfather, James I, had been widely disliked; his father, Charles I, had been executed following civil war; and his brother, Charles II, had presided over a court associated with corruption, indulgence and financial weakness. Royal authority had already been reduced, Parliament had become increasingly powerful, and religious hostility shaped political debate throughout England, Scotland and Ireland.
James’s open Catholicism made his position especially dangerous. Following the death of his first wife, he publicly professed the Catholic faith and married Mary of Modena, a Catholic princess connected to France. Parliament responded through measures including the Test Act of 1673, which excluded Catholics from public office. James was consequently forced to surrender command of the navy, despite his recognised experience and ability. His opponents tolerated his succession partly because his Protestant daughters, Mary and Anne, appeared likely to inherit the crown.
The crisis also had deep Irish roots. Under James I, the Flight of the Earls provided the Crown with an opportunity to confiscate extensive territories in Ulster. Land in Donegal, Tyrone, Derry, Fermanagh, Cavan and Armagh was transferred to British undertakers, while native families were displaced, excluded or subjected to harsher conditions. The Plantation transformed Ulster and created political, religious and social divisions that survived long after the Stuart monarchy disappeared.
During the reign of Charles I, conflict between Crown and Parliament developed into civil war. Irish Catholics, already suffering religious restrictions and repeated challenges to their land titles, formed the Confederation of Kilkenny to defend their property, faith and political rights. Their eventual association with the royal cause proved disastrous. Charles offered concessions too late, internal divisions weakened the Confederates, and Cromwell’s invasion brought military defeat, further confiscation and widespread displacement.
The Restoration of Charles II returned the monarchy but failed to restore most Catholic landowners. Cromwellian settlements were largely protected, and continuing investigations into titles transferred still more property away from the native Irish population. As Charles approached death, English anxiety over a Catholic successor intensified. Attempts were made to exclude James and replace him with the Duke of Monmouth, but these failed.
When James succeeded on 6 February 1685, he inherited an empty treasury, hostile political interests and three divided kingdoms. He believed lawful authority and religious toleration might reconcile them. Instead, his policies intensified opposition, leading ultimately to his removal, the Williamite war and Limerick’s defining place in the struggle. Its walls would become the final defence of a monarchy weakened by generations of mistrust and conquest.
Primary Sources
- James I, “A Proclamation Touching the Earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnell” (15 November 1607).
A royal proclamation accusing Hugh O’Neill and Rory O’Donnell of conspiracy and rebellion following their departure from Ireland. It provides the Crown’s official justification for treating the Ulster lords as traitors and confiscating their estates. (CELT) - Tadhg Ó Cianáin, The Flight of the Earls (1607–1609).
A contemporary Irish account of the journey undertaken by Hugh O’Neill, Rory O’Donnell and their companions after leaving Rathmullan in September 1607. It offers an Irish perspective on the event that preceded the Plantation of Ulster. (CELT) - Charles II, Act of Settlement (1662) and Act of Explanation (1665).
These laws regulated land ownership in Restoration Ireland. They confirmed many Cromwellian land grants and determined which dispossessed Irish landowners might recover property, providing direct evidence for the continued confiscations described in the article. (CELT) - Parliament of England, An Act for Preventing Dangers Which May Happen from Popish Recusants—the Test Act (1673), 25 Charles II, chapter 2.
The legislation required holders of civil and military offices to take Anglican communion, swear prescribed oaths and reject Catholic teaching on transubstantiation. Its requirements forced James, Duke of York, to relinquish his command of the navy. (Wikimedia Commons) - James II, His Majesty’s Most Gracious Speech to Both Houses of Parliament (22 May 1685).
Delivered shortly after his accession, this published speech records how James presented his intentions and priorities to Parliament at the beginning of his reign. It is valuable evidence for examining his understanding of monarchy, government and relations with the political establishment. (catalog.folger.edu)
