Mary II
Mary II | |
---|---|
Princess consort of Orange | |
Tenure | 4 November 1677 – 28 December 1694 |
Born | 30 April 1662 [NS: 10 May 1662] St James's Palace, Westminster, England |
Died | 28 December 1694 (aged 32) [NS: 7 January 1695] Kensington Palace, Middlesex, England |
Burial | 5 March 1695 , London |
Spouse | |
House | Stuart |
Father | James II of England |
Mother | Anne Hyde |
Religion | Anglicanism |
Signature |
Mary II (30 April 1662 – 28 December 1694) was
Mary was born during the reign of her uncle
William and Mary became king and queen regnant. Mary mostly deferred to her husband – a renowned military leader and principal opponent of Louis XIV – when he was in England. She did, however, act alone when William was engaged in military campaigns abroad, proving herself to be a powerful, firm, and effective ruler. Mary's death from smallpox at the age of 32 left William as sole ruler until his death in 1702, when he was succeeded by Mary's sister, Anne.
Early life
Mary, born at
The Duke of York converted to
From about the age of nine until her marriage, Mary wrote passionate letters to an older girl,
At the age of 15, Mary became betrothed to her cousin, the Protestant
Marriage
William and a tearful Mary were married in St James's Palace by Bishop Henry Compton on 4 November 1677.[12] The bedding ceremony to publicly establish the consummation of the marriage was attended by the royal family, with her uncle the King himself drawing the bedcurtains.[13] Mary accompanied her husband on a rough sea crossing to the Netherlands later that month, after a delay of two weeks caused by bad weather.[14] Rotterdam was inaccessible because of ice, and they were forced to land at the small village of Ter Heijde, and walk through the frosty countryside until met by coaches to take them to Huis Honselaarsdijk.[15] On 14 December, they made a formal entry to The Hague in a grand procession.[16]
Mary's animated and personable nature made her popular with the Dutch people, and her marriage to a Protestant prince was popular in Britain.[17] She was devoted to her husband, but he was often away on campaigns, which led to Mary's family supposing him to be cold and neglectful.[18] Within months of the marriage Mary was pregnant; however, on a visit to her husband at the fortified city of Breda, she suffered a miscarriage, which may have permanently impaired her ability to have children.[19] Further bouts of illness, that may have been miscarriages, occurred in mid-1678, early 1679, and early 1680.[20] Her childlessness would be the greatest source of unhappiness in her life.[21]
From May 1684, Charles II's illegitimate son,
While the pair started out somewhat distant, they became quite close and trusting of each other over the course of their marriage.[b] Their mutual fervour for Protestantism additionally helped bind them together.[24]
James's reign
Upon the death of Charles II without legitimate issue in February 1685, the Duke of York became king as James II in England and Ireland and James VII in Scotland. Mary was playing cards when her husband informed her of her father's accession, with the knowledge that she was heir presumptive.[25]
When Charles's illegitimate son the Duke of Monmouth assembled an invasion force at Amsterdam, and sailed for Britain, William informed James of the Duke's departure, and ordered English regiments in the Low Countries to return to Britain.[26] To William's relief, Monmouth was defeated, captured and executed, but both he and Mary were dismayed by James's subsequent actions.[27]
James had a controversial religious policy; his attempt to grant
Glorious Revolution
Disgruntled Protestant politicians and noblemen were in contact with Mary's husband as early as 1686.
On 30 June, seven notable English nobles, later called "the Immortal Seven" secretly invited William—then in the Dutch Republic with Mary—to come to England with an army to depose James.[37] William may have been jealous of his wife's position as the heiress to the English Crown, but according to Gilbert Burnet, Mary convinced her husband that she did not care for political power, and told him "she would be no more but his wife, and that she would do all that lay in her power to make him king for life".[38] She would, she assured him, always obey her husband as she had promised to do in her marriage vows.[39]
William agreed to invade and issued a declaration which referred to James's newborn son as the "pretended Prince of Wales". He also gave a list of grievances of the English people and stated that his proposed expedition was for the sole purpose of having "a free and lawful Parliament assembled".[40] Having been turned back by storms in October, William and the Dutch army finally landed in England on 5 November 1688, without Mary, who stayed behind in the Netherlands.[41] The disaffected English Army and Navy went over to William,[42] and on 11 December the defeated King James attempted to flee, but was intercepted. A second attempt at flight, on 23 December, was successful; William deliberately allowed James to escape to France, where he lived in exile until his death.[43]
Mary was upset by the circumstances surrounding the deposition of her father, and was torn between concern for him and duty to her husband, but was convinced that her husband's actions, however unpleasant, were necessary to "save the Church and State".[44] When Mary travelled to England after the New Year, she wrote of her "secret joy" at returning to her homeland, "but that was soon checked with the consideration of my father's misfortunes".[45] William ordered her to appear cheerful on their triumphant arrival in London. As a result, she was criticised by Sarah Churchill among others, for appearing cold to her father's plight.[46]
In January 1689, a
On 13 February 1689, the English Parliament passed the
The
On the same day, the Convention of the
Reign
In December 1689, Parliament passed the
From 1690 onwards, William was often absent from England on campaign, each year generally from the spring until the autumn. In 1690, he fought Jacobites (who supported James) in Ireland. William had crushed the Irish Jacobites by 1692, but he continued with campaigns abroad to wage war against France in the Netherlands. Whilst her husband was away, Mary administered the government of the realm with the advice of a nine-member Cabinet Council.[58][59] She was not keen to assume power and felt "deprived of all that was dear to me in the person of my husband, left among those that were perfect strangers to me: my sister of a humour so reserved that I could have little comfort from her."[60] Anne had quarrelled with William and Mary over money, and the relationship between the two sisters had soured.[61]
When her husband was away, Mary acted on her own if his advice was not available; whilst he was in England, Mary completely refrained from interfering in political matters, as had been agreed in the Declaration and Bill of Rights,
Mary fell ill with a fever in April 1692, and missed Sunday church service for the first time in 12 years.[66] She also failed to visit Anne, who was suffering a difficult labour. After Mary's recovery and the death of Anne's baby soon after it was born, Mary did visit her sister, but chose the opportunity to berate Anne for her friendship with Sarah.[67] The sisters never saw each other again.[68] Marlborough was arrested and imprisoned, but then released after his accuser was revealed to be an impostor.[69] Mary recorded in her journal that the breach between the sisters was a punishment from God for the "irregularity" of the Revolution.[70] She was extremely devout, and attended prayers at least twice a day.[71]
Many of Mary's proclamations focus on combating licentiousness, insobriety and vice.[72] She often participated in the affairs of the Church—all matters of ecclesiastical patronage passed through her hands.[73] On the death of Archbishop of Canterbury John Tillotson in December 1694, Mary was keen to appoint Bishop of Worcester Edward Stillingfleet to the vacancy, but William overruled her and the post went to Bishop of Lincoln Thomas Tenison.[74]
Death
Mary was tall (5 foot 11 inches; 180 cm) and apparently fit; she regularly walked between her palaces at
William, who had grown increasingly to rely on Mary, was devastated by her death, and told Burnet that "from being the happiest" he was "now going to be the miserablest creature on earth".
Legacy
Mary endowed the
Mary was depicted by Jacobites as an unfaithful daughter who destroyed her father for her own and her husband's gain.
A week before her death, Mary went through her papers, weeding out some, which were burnt, but her journal survives, as do her letters to William and to Frances Apsley.[89] The Jacobites lambasted her, but the assessment of her character that came down to posterity was largely the vision of Mary as a dutiful, submissive wife, who assumed power reluctantly, exercised it with considerable ability when necessary, and willingly deferred it to her husband.[90]
Title, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
- 30 April 1662 – 4 November 1677: Her Highness The Lady Mary[91]
- 4 November 1677 – 13 February 1689: Her Highness The Princess of Orange[51]
- 13 February 1689 – 28 December 1694: Her Majesty The Queen
The joint style of William III and Mary II was "William and Mary, by the Grace of God,
Arms
The coat of arms used by William and Mary were:
Coat of arms on expeditionary banner of William and Mary, 1688, showing their arms impaled
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Coat of arms of William and Mary as joint sovereigns of England
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Coat of arms of William and Mary used in Scotland from 1691
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Genealogical table
[93] | The British monarchs of the House of Stuart, their relations, and the transition to the Hanovers||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Notes
- ^ Mary II was declared queen by the Parliament of England on 13 February 1689 and by the Parliament of Scotland on 11 April 1689.
- ^ William did not trust her entourage unconditionally. He took the precaution of appointing as her personal secretary his illegitimate elder half-brother, Abel Tassin d'Alonne, whom he trusted implicitly. D'Alonne was among other things instrumental in preventing a plot to abduct Mary, in which her private chaplain John Covel was involved.[23] D'Alonne would remain her private secretary until her death.
- ^ Genetic testing of James Francis Edward's descendants has since shown he was indeed a Stuart.[35]
References
Citations
- ^ Waller, p. 249
- ^ Waller, p. 252
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 32
- ^ Waller, p. 251
- ^ Waller, pp. 251–253
- ^ Waller, p. 255
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 34
- ^ Waller, p. 256
- ^ Pollock, John. The Policy of Charles II and James II. (1667–1687).
- ^ Van der Kiste, pp. 44–45
- ^ Mary's chaplain, Edward Lake, quoted in Waller, p. 257
- ^ Van der Kiste, pp. 47–48; Waller, p. 258
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 48
- ^ Van der Kiste, pp. 50–51; Waller, p. 259
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 51; Waller, pp. 258–259
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 52
- ^ Waller, pp. 257–259
- ^ Waller, pp. 259–262
- ^ Van der Kiste, pp. 55–58; Waller, p. 261
- ^ Van der Kiste, pp. 57, 58, 62
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 162; Waller, p. 262
- ^ Van der Kiste, pp. 72–73
- S2CID 162387765. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ Keates, p. 34
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 76
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 78
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 79
- ^ a b Van der Kiste, p. 91
- ^ Waller, p. 265
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 81; Waller, p. 264
- ^ Van der Kiste p. 64; Waller, p. 264
- ^ Keates pp. 26–28; Van der Kiste, p. 82; Waller, p. 264
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 86
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 92
- ^ Keates p. 32
- ^ Van der Kiste, pp. 90, 94–95; Waller, pp. 268–269
- ^ Van der Kiste, pp. 93–94
- ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 816.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 85; Waller, p. 266
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 98
- ^ Van der Kiste, pp. 100–102
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 104
- ^ Van der Kiste, pp. 105–107
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 95; Waller, pp. 269–271
- ^ Mary, quoted by Van der Kiste, p. 113 and Waller, p. 271
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 113; Waller, pp. 272–273
- ^ Waller, p. 274
- ^ Waller, pp. 274–275
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 108; Waller, p. 273
- ^ Mary, quoted in Van der Kiste, p. 114 and Waller, p. 273
- ^ a b c d e "King James' Parliament: The succession of William and Mary". The History and Proceedings of the House of Commons. Vol. 2. British History Online. 1742. pp. 255–277. Retrieved 19 September 2006.
- ^ a b "William III and Mary II". The Royal Household. Retrieved 18 September 2006.
- ^ "William Sancroft". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2006. Retrieved 21 September 2006.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 118
- ^ "John Graham of Claverhouse, 1st viscount of Dundee". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2006. Retrieved 21 September 2006.
- ^ "The Contemplator's Short History of "Bonnie Dundee" John Graham, Earl of Claverhouse, Viscount of Dundee". Retrieved 20 September 2006.
- ^ a b "Bill of Rights". 1689. Retrieved 19 September 2006.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 138
- ^ See also the Absence of King William Act 1689.
- ^ Memoirs of Mary, Queen of England edited by R. Doebner (1886), quoted in Van der Kiste, p. 138
- ^ Van der Kiste, pp. 130–131
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 144; Waller, pp. 280, 284
- ^ Waller, p. 281
- ^ Van der Kiste, pp. 159–160
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 160
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 155
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 161
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 162
- ^ Van der Kiste, pp. 161–162
- ^ Quoted in Waller, p. 279
- ^ Waller, pp. 277, 282
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 164; Waller, pp. 281, 286
- ^ Van der Kiste, pp. 163–164
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 176
- ^ Waller, p.285
- ^ a b Van der Kiste, p. 177
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 179
- ^ Waller, pp. 286-287
- ^ Van der Kiste, pp. 179–180
- ^ Waller, p. 288
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 186; Waller, p. 289
- ^ "Music for Queen Mary". The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Archived from the original on 8 October 2006. Retrieved 18 September 2006.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 187
- ^ Waller, p. 283
- ^ Waller, pp. 260, 285–286
- ^ Waller, pp. 277–279
- ^ Waller, pp. 283–284
- ^ Waller, p. 284
- ^ Waller, p. 287
- ^ Waller, p. 290
- ^ "No. 1249". The London Gazette. 5 November 1677. p. 1.
- ^ Brewer, E. Cobham (1898). Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Philadelphia: Henry Altemus Company. p. 891.
- ^ Gregg, pp. x–xi; Somerset, pp. viii–ix
Sources
- Gregg, Edward (2001). Queen Anne (2nd ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-09024-2.
- ISBN 978-0-141-97687-7.
- ISBN 978-0-00-720376-5.
- ISBN 0-7509-3048-9.
- Waller, Maureen (2006). Sovereign Ladies: The Six Reigning Queens of England. London: John Murray. ISBN 978-0-7195-6628-8.
External links
- William II & III and Mary II at the official website of the British monarchy
- Mary II at the official website of the Royal Collection Trust
- Mary II at BBC History
- Portraits of Queen Mary II at the National Portrait Gallery, London
- The Correspondence of Mary II Stuart, Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland in EMLO
- New International Encyclopedia. 1905. .