James VII and II was King of England and Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. He was the last Catholic monarch of England, Scotland, and Ireland. His reign is now remembered primarily for conflicts over religious tolerance, but it also involved struggles over the principles of absolutism and the divine right of kings. His deposition ended a century of political and civil strife in England by confirming the primacy of the English Parliament over the Crown.
Portrait by Peter Lely
Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne, James's commander in France
James and Anne Hyde in the 1660s, by Sir Peter Lely
Wedding suit of James II, 1673, in the Victoria and Albert Museum
Charles II was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.
Charles in Garter robes, c. 1660–1665
Charles as an infant in 1630, painting attributed to Justus van Egmont
Portrait by William Dobson, c. 1642 or 1643
Cast gold coronation medal of Charles II, dated 1651