Mary II
Mary II, born Mary Stuart on April 30, 1662, was a significant figure in British history as a joint monarch alongside her husband, William of Orange. Raised under the influence of her uncle Charles II, Mary faced the complexities of religious and political tensions in England, particularly as the daughter of the Catholic King James II. Her marriage to William, though initially met with distress, became pivotal during the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which saw her father deposed due to concerns over the Catholic succession, particularly after the birth of her younger brother.
Mary’s leadership during her reign was marked by her adept handling of Parliament and her support of Protestantism, which helped solidify England's Protestant identity. She and William’s ascension to the throne, marked by the signing of the Declaration of Rights, established a constitutional monarchy that limited the powers of the sovereign and heightened the authority of Parliament. Their reign, often referred to as that of William and Mary, was characterized by military conflicts, but also by Mary’s efforts to maintain stability in governance during her husband's absences. Sadly, Mary’s life was cut short by smallpox at the age of thirty-two, but her legacy endures through the significant constitutional changes initiated during her reign and the ensuing Jacobite Rebellions that followed.
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Subject Terms
Mary II
Queen of England (r. 1689-1694)
- Born: April 30, 1662
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: December 28, 1694
- Place of death: London, England
In the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Mary II usurped the throne of her Catholic father, James II, thereby preserving England’s existence as a Protestant nation. She also gained recognition as a highly effective political leader who deeply influenced British domestic policy and as a strong negotiator.
Early Life
Mary II was born Mary Stuart on April 30, 1662, at Saint James’s Palace, London, England. As the elder daughter of King James II and his first wife, Lady Anne Hyde (1637-1671), Mary Stuart’s short life was a difficult one that was, from her birth, filled with conflict. Mary was brought up under the watchful eye of her uncle, Charles II, who, after failing to produce a legitimate heir, saw in young Mary the probable heir to the British throne.
Since the Reformation, Britain had been a Protestant monarchy, and the idea of Mary’s father, James, the Catholic duke of York, succeeding his Protestant brother Charles filled much of Parliament with dread. (This faction in Parliament acquired the nickname “Whigs,” while supporters of James’s right to the throne despite his Catholicism came to be called Tories.) Thus, Mary and her younger sister, Anne (1665-1714), who was eventually to become the last Stuart monarch in 1702, were educated in the faith of their mother, as Protestants. Knowing full well that Mary’s husband would very likely rule Britain one day, a great deal of care went into the search for a proper husband for the young Stuart princess, who it seems was in love with the beautiful Frances Apsley.
William IIII6IIII , prince of Orange, son of William II, stadtholder of the Netherlands, and Mary Henrietta of England (herself the daughter of Charles I ), was brought forth as an appropriate suitor. Upon finding out she was to be married to her asthmatic cousin, however, it is said that Mary wept nonstop. Their betrothal took place in October, 1677, and was quickly followed by their marriage in London on November 4. The couple, who were also first cousins, each being a grandchild of Charles I, lived, unhappy and childless, in the Netherlands, where Mary found herself popular among the Dutch people. In 1685, the Restoration monarch Charles II died, and Mary found herself one step closer to the British throne when her father became king of England. Even this event, however, did not diminish her husband’s poor treatment of her.
Life’s Work
Mary saw her father’s ascension to the throne upon the death of King Charles as a matter of course. The subsequent birth of a male heir, however, changed everything. Mary’s newborn brother, Prince James, son of her father James II and his second wife, the Catholic Queen Mary of Modena, caused great conflict for Mary, who stood to lose her place in the succession. It was a far greater problem, however, to the nation as a whole, which feared that the monarchy would fall back into Catholic hands and that England would once again become a Catholic nation.
King James II, after all, was already a Catholic king in a Protestant country, a king who showed favoritism in promoting Catholics to high office and suspended the legal rights of dissenters. James’s reign could be a mere aberration, but if his son were raised Catholic as well, as seemed likely, a permanent Catholic dynasty could result. Thus, whereas before, Parliament had been content to bide its time waiting for the death of the fifty-two-year-old monarch and the subsequent reign of his Protestant daughter, it now became imperative to both the Whigs and the Tories to take steps to ensure the Protestant succession.
Mary acted diligently and brilliantly to prevent her young Catholic brother, James Francis Edward Stuart, from acquiring the throne she had been waiting her whole life to attain. Mary’s husband, Prince William of Orange, was invited by seven Whig and Tory leaders to invade England and seize control, in order to protect his wife’s claim to the throne, and Mary supported him and her Anglican faith. In November, 1688, William landed at Torbay, Devonshire, England, with a Dutch army. The Catholic king’s forces, under John Churchill (1650-1722), later the first duke of Marlborough, deserted him, as did both Mary and his other daughter, Anne. In December of 1688, James escaped to France with his wife and infant son. His flight was looked upon as an abdication of the throne of England.
Thus, Mary was instrumental in bringing about the Glorious Revolution , or the Bloodless Revolution, as it also came to be known. It was Mary II’s claim to the monarchy, not her husband’s, that placed them firmly on the British throne as joint monarchs over England, Scotland, and Ireland—the only time this happened in British history. Although Mary was asked to rule as a sole monarch, she refused unless her husband was named king. Thus, in a show of brilliant statesmanship, Mary captured the throne of England along with the military power of Holland to back up her claim. The couple’s reign is usually referred to as that of William and Mary.
An efficient and very successful politician, Mary effectively dealt with Parliament and the court when William was occupied in a series of wars against Louis XIV (1638-1715) of France, the Catholic monarch who befriended James II and his infant son. She held down the fort, so to speak, when William was defeated by James’s supporters at Killiecrankie in 1689, when he defeated James at the Battle of the Boyne (1690) in Ireland, and while he successfully fought the Wars of the League of Augsburg (1689-1697; also known as the War of the Grand Alliance or, in part, King William’s War). Although as a married couple they experienced unhappiness, some would even say misery, as a political couple they were able to put up a united front and gain much glory.
Mary, who had maintained a reputation for piousness and charity throughout her life, died from smallpox on December 28, 1694, at the age of thirty-two, at Kensington Palace, London, and was buried in London at Westminster Abbey. Her husband William, although not nearly as popular while Mary was alive, continued to reign until his death from complications after falling off his horse in 1702, at which point Mary’s sister, Anne, ascended the throne.
Significance
As a Stuart princess, Mary II played a major role in securing Britain as a Protestant country by usurping her father’s throne and bringing about the Glorious Revolution. Her decision to replace her father on the throne ushered in the present-day Parliamentary system: Before their coronation in 1689, Mary and her husband accepted and signed the Declaration of Rights , which in effect set out the conditions under which they were granted the throne. This document redefined the relationship between the monarchy and the people, ensuring that the rule of law could not be overwritten on a royal whim. In addition, it provided for the unconditional rule of Parliament and not the monarch. It also assured the succession to the throne. The Glorious Revolution, however, led to the Jacobite Rebellions in which many lost their lives. The Jacobites, supporters of James II and his offspring as the rightfully rulers of Britain, staged two major rebellions in 1715 and 1745 against Protestant Hanoverian rule.
Bibliography
Curtis Brown, Beatrice. Anne Stuart: Queen of England. New York: Kessinger, 2003. Although this illustrated book deals primarily with Mary’s sister Anne, it portrays the personal history of both sisters, particularly Mary’s role in the 1688 Glorious Revolution.
Farquher, Michael. A Treasury of Royal Scandals: The Shocking True Stories of History’s Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens, Tsars, Popes, and Emperors. New York: Penguin, 2001. Goes into great detail about the renowned Stuarts and discusses Mary’s relationship with her husband, William III.
Van der Kiste, John. William and Mary. Stroud, Gloucestershire, England: Sutton, 2003. Comprehensive overview of the fascinating lives and turbulent times of William and Mary. Discusses the personal relations between the monarchs, as well as their political legacy.
Wallar, Maureen. Ungrateful Daughters. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2003. Renowned historian Maureen Wallar reveals the dark family dynamics, the rages, and the jealousies that resulted in the loss of the crown by James II. While she posits Anne as the far darker, more responsible sister, Wallar divulges much about Mary II, her conflicts and her motivations.