The Stuarts

James I (1566-1625)
Ruled 1603-1625
The only son of Mary, Queen of Scots, James became James VI of Scotland in 1567 when only one year old. With Mary having been beheaded in 1587 and Elizabeth I childless, he was proclaimed King of England – the first of the Stuart dynasty – within hours of Elizabeth's death on 24 March 1603.
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Charles I (1600-1649)
Ruled 1625-1642
The son of James I, Charles's belief in the 'divine right of kings' led him into conflict with Parliament and at Nottingham on 22 August 1642 he effectively declared war against Parliament and started the English Civil War. After defeat in the civil war, Charles was beheaded at Whitehall on 30 January 1649.
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Siege house in Shropshire, High Ercall, Shropshire >>
Time Team digs at High Ercall Hall, scene of two sieges during the English Civil War.

Charles II (1630-1685)
Ruled 1660-1685
The son of Charles I, Charles II inherited the throne when the monarchy was restored in May 1660. This followed the civil war, republic and protectorate under Oliver Cromwell, whose son Richard lasted only seven months in office as his successor after Cromwell's death in 1659. Charles died of a heart attack in February 1685.
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James II (1633-1688)
Ruled 1685-1688
James was the brother of Charles II, and like Charles (on his deathbed) became a Catholic. This led to Parliament looking around for an alternative monarch, which it found in James's daughter from a previous marriage, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange. The Protestant William and his army landed on 5 November 1688. James failed to regain his throne by landing with a French army in Ireland. He died in exile in France in 1701.

William (1650-1702) and Mary (1662-1694)
William ruled 1688-1702, Mary ruled 1688-1694
Mary was the daughter of James I, while her husband, William of Orange, was the ruler of Holland. Their reign saw in the 'Glorious Revolution', which finally established the primacy of Parliament and Protestant rule. The childless Mary died of smallpox in 1694, while William died following a riding fall in 1702.

Anne (1665-1714)
Ruled 1702-1714
Mary's younger sister, Anne, came to the throne in 1702. She and her husband George had a number of children but none survived beyond the age of 11, and when Anne died in 1714 she was the last of the Stuart dynasty.