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5 November 1688
The Dutch William of Orange lands at Torbay, Devon. This follows a political crisis provoked by the birth of a son in June to the Catholic James II, which means that the succession would not pass immediately to James's Protestant daughter Mary, William's wife. To get rid of James, a powerful group of Protestant nobles invites William to intervene. When he lands, James loses his nerve and flees to France. — • — When the baby, James Francis Edward, was born on 10 June, James fell to his knees and wept for hours. But the rumour was rife that there had been no pregnancy and that another baby had been covertly introduced in a warming pan. From A Century of Troubles by Stevie Davies (Channel 4 Books) |
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