Monument to the Royal Stuarts
Memorial to the three Stuart pretenders, 'James III', and his sons, Charles and Henry, above their place of interment in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica, in the Vatican. By Antonio Canova, 1819.

The Jacobite succession is the line through which Jacobites believed that the crowns of England, Scotland, and Ireland should have descended, applying primogeniture, since the deposition of James II and VII in 1688 and his death in 1701. It is in opposition to the legal line of succession to the British throne since that time.

Excluded from the succession by law because of their Roman Catholicism, James's Stuart descendants pursued their claims to the crowns as pretenders. James's son James Francis Edward Stuart (the 'Old Pretender') and grandson Charles Edward Stuart (the 'Young Pretender' or 'Bonnie Prince Charlie') actively participated in uprisings and invasions in support of their claim. From 1689 to the middle of the eighteenth century, restoration of the Jacobite succession to the throne was a major political issue in Britain, with adherents both at home and abroad. However, with Charles Edward's disastrous defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the Jacobite succession lost both its support and its political importance. James II and VII's other grandson, Henry Benedict Stuart, the last of his legitimate descendants, died in 1807, by which time the Jacobite succession ceased to have supporters in any number.

When Henry died childless, the Jacobite claim was then notionally inherited by Henry's nearest relative (a second cousin, twice removed), and then passed through a number of European royal families. Although the line of succession can continue to be traced, none of these subsequent heirs ever claimed the British throne, or the crowns of England, Scotland, or Ireland. A spokesman for the current heir, Franz, Duke of Bavaria, has described his position in the line of succession as "purely hypothetical" and a question "which does not concern him".[1] However, there remains a small number of modern supporters who believe in the restoration of the Jacobite succession to the throne.

History

Background: the Glorious Revolution and Hanoverian succession

James II and VII, a Roman Catholic, was deposed, in what became known as the Glorious Revolution, when his Protestant opponents forced him to flee from England in 1688.[2] The English Parliament deemed that James had, by fleeing his realms, abdicated his thrones.[2] In theory, the deemed abdication applied to the crown of Ireland as well, as the English monarch was, in law, automatically also the monarch of Ireland. In practice, James's loss of the Irish crown to William of Orange was because of his defeat in the Williamite War in Ireland in 1691.[3] A Convention of the Scottish Estates took a different approach, and declared that James, by his wrongdoing, had forfeited the crown.[4] Both offered the crowns, not to James's infant son, but to his adult Protestant daughter Mary and to her husband and cousin, James's nephew, William of Orange.[2][5]

William and Mary were succeeded by James's younger daughter and Mary's sister, Anne, also a Protestant, who became Queen in 1702.[6] The Act of Settlement 1701, passed shortly before Anne's accession, fixed the line of succession in law with the aim of permanently excluding James's descendants, and Roman Catholics in general, from the throne.[6] The Parliament of England first barred Roman Catholics and James's descendants from inheriting the throne through the Bill of Rights 1689.[7] The 1701 Act both confirmed these provisions[8] and added to them by clarifying the line of succession should Anne die without surviving issue.[9] As an English Act of Parliament, it was originally only part of English law, applying to the throne of England,[10] but also to the throne of Ireland as the monarch of England was automatically also monarch of Ireland under the Irish Parliament's Crown of Ireland Act 1542.[3][11] By virtue of Article II of the Treaty of Union between England and Scotland (put into law by the Acts of Union 1707), which defined the succession to the throne of Great Britain, the Act of Settlement became part of Scots law as well.[12] The succession after Anne (who would die without leaving surviving children) was effectively settled on the Protestant House of Hanover. The Act named Anne's first cousin once removed, Sophia of Hanover, a granddaughter of James VI and I, and her descendants, as Anne's successor. Sophia died a few months before Anne, and Sophia's son, George I, consequently acceded to the British throne on Anne's death in 1714.[6]

Stuart claims in exile

James II and VII, his son, James, the 'Old Pretender', and his grandsons, Charles, the 'Young Pretender' and Henry, called Cardinal Duke of York, never accepted the loss of their crowns and continued to press their claims from exile to varying degrees.[13] They were supported by Jacobites in England, Ireland, and, particularly, in Scotland.[14][lower-alpha 1] The Jacobite succession, as a dynastic alternative for the throne, became a major factor in destabilising British politics between 1689 and 1746.[15] Jacobitism was perceived by contemporaries to be a significant military and political threat,[16] with invasions and uprisings in support of the exiled Stuarts occurring in 1689, 1715, 1719 and 1745.[14]

Internationally, the Jacobite succession had limited recognition. Only France, Spain and the Papacy acknowledged James II's son as 'James III' on his father's death in 1701.[17][18] By the Peace of Utrecht, France and Spain switched their recognition to the Hanoverian succession in 1713,[19] although France subsequently recognised James as "King of Scotland" during the 1745 rising.[20] Even the Papacy withdrew its recognition of the Jacobite succession when James, the Old Pretender, died in 1766.[21]

With the defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, Jacobitism was dealt a death blow and the Jacobite succession lost its significance as a dynastic alternative to the Hanoverians.[22] Jacobitism went into a rapid decline and with the death of Charles, the 'Young Pretender' in 1788, the Jacobite succession lost what was left of its political importance.[23] His younger brother, Henry, Cardinal of York, died in 1807 and the Royal House of Stuart thereby became extinct.[24] With the death of the last Stuart, the House of Hanover was completely established as the only credible dynasty for the British throne.[25]

Line of succession after the Stuarts

Applying primogeniture, the notional rights to the Stuarts' claim then passed to Henry's nearest surviving relative, Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia (a second cousin twice removed, for comparison George III was Henry's third cousin twice removed), and from him on to other members of the House of Savoy, and then to the Houses of Austria-Este and Wittelsbach over the subsequent two centuries.[26] Neither Charles Emmanuel[27] nor any of the subsequent heirs have ever put forward any claims to the British throne.[26][28] Aside from the brief Neo-Jacobite Revival in the years before the First World War,[29] and a handful of modern adherents,[30] any support for the Jacobite succession had disappeared by the end of the 18th century after it had been abandoned by even the inner core of its supporters.[31] Although there are a small number of modern-day self-described 'Jacobites', not all of them support the restoration of the Jacobite succession to the throne.[32]

Pretenders and subsequent heirs

English common law determined the line of succession based on male-preference primogeniture,[33][34] and Scots law applied the same principle in relation to the crown of Scotland.[35][36] Following the Glorious Revolution, this was altered by a series of English and Scottish statutes, namely the Claim of Right Act 1689, the Bill of Rights 1689 and the Act of Settlement 1701,[3][33][34] but Jacobites did not accept their validity.[37][38] The tables below set out the male-preference primogeniture line of succession, unaltered by those statutes.

Stuart pretenders

The Stuarts who claimed the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland as pretenders after 1688 were:

Claimant, lifespan and dates of claimPortraitBasis of claim
James II & VII
(1633–1701)
11 December 1688[lower-alpha 2] – 16 September 1701[2]		James lawfully succeeded his brother, Charles II, to the throne on 6 February 1685, as Charles did not have any legitimate children.[41][42] When James fled the country in 1688, the English Parliament declared that he had abdicated[2] and the Scottish Convention of Estates declared he had forfeited his crown.[4] However, James and his supporters denied that he had abdicated[3] and claimed that the declaration of forfeiture had been by an illegal Scottish Convention.[38] They maintained that James continued to be the rightful king.[43]
James Francis Edward Stuart
(1688–1766)
("James III & VIII")[13][44]
("The Old Pretender")
16 September 1701 – 1 January 1766[13]		JamesUpon James II & VII's death in 1701, James, called the Old Pretender by his detractors, as James II/VII's only surviving legitimate son,[45] inherited his father's claim.[46]
Charles Edward Stuart
(1720–1788)
("Charles III")[13][44]
("The Young Pretender")
("Bonnie Prince Charlie")
1 January 1766 – 31 January 1788[47]		CharlesUpon the death of James, the "Old Pretender", in 1766, Charles, as James's eldest son, assumed his claim to the throne.[47]
Henry Benedict Stuart
(1725–1807)
("Henry IX & I")[44][48]
("Cardinal Duke of York")
31 January 1788 – 13 July 1807[49]		HenryHenry used the title of Duke of York that his father bestowed on him. Upon Charles Edward Stuart's death in 1788, Henry, as Charles's only brother, was the last surviving legitimate descendant of James II/VII.[49] The Pope did not recognise his claim to the British throne.

Subsequent succession

Upon the extinction of the Royal Stuart line with the death of Henry, Cardinal of York, and applying male-preference primogeniture unaltered by the Act of Settlement 1701, the succession would have passed to the individuals named in the table below. However, unlike the Stuart pretenders, none of them has claimed the British throne (or the thrones of England, Scotland or Ireland) or incorporated the arms of these countries in their coats-of-arms.[26] Nevertheless, since the 19th century, there have been small groups advocating the restoration of the Jacobite succession to the throne.[30][50][51]

HouseDescendant, lifespan and dates as heir-general of the Stuart pretenders[lower-alpha 3]PortraitRelationship to predecessor in line of succession (primogeniture)
SavoyCharles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia
(1751–1818)
("Charles IV")[52]
13 July 1807 – 6 October 1819[53]		Charles Emmanuel IVSenior surviving descendant of Henry Cardinal of York's great aunt, Henrietta of Orleans, who was the youngest sister of James II/VII.[54][55] Henry had died childless and no other legitimate descendants of James II/VII survived.[49][55] As at Henry's death, there were no surviving siblings of James II/VII or their legitimate descendants, except the descendants of Henrietta.[55]
Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia
(1759–1824)
("Victor")[52]
6 October 1819 – 10 January 1824[53]		Victor Emmanuel INext eldest brother of his predecessor, Charles Emmanuel, who had died childless.[56]
Maria Beatrice of Savoy
(1792–1840)
("Mary II"[52] or "Mary III"[57])[lower-alpha 4]
10 January 1824 – 15 September 1840[58]		Eldest surviving daughter of her predecessor, Victor Emmanuel, who had no surviving sons.[59]
Austria-EsteFrancis V, Duke of Modena
(1819–1875)
("Francis I")[52][57]
15 September 1840 – 20 November 1875[60]		Eldest son of his predecessor, Maria Beatrice.[61]
Maria Theresa of Austria-Este
(1849–1919)
("Mary III"[52] or "Mary IV"[57])[lower-alpha 4]
20 November 1875 – 3 February 1919[62]		Niece of her predecessor, Francis, who died childless. She was the only child of Francis's only brother, Ferdinand, who had pre-deceased Francis.[56][63]
WittelsbachRupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria
(1869–1955)
("Robert I & IV")[52]
3 February 1919 – 2 August 1955[64]		Eldest son of his predecessor, Maria Theresa.[65]
Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria
(1905–1996)
("Albert")[51]
2 August 1955 – 8 July 1996[66]		Eldest surviving son of his predecessor, Rupprecht.[67]
Franz, Duke of Bavaria
(born 1933)
("Francis II")[30]
8 July 1996 – present		Eldest son of his predecessor, Albrecht.[67][68]

Family tree

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Their supporters traditionally toasted the pretenders as "The King over the Water".
  2. ↑ The date given for the commencement of his claim is the date upon which James fled London.[39] The English Parliament deemed that his flight constituted his abdication from the throne[2] by a declaration made on 28 January 1689.[39] With regard to the Scottish throne, however, James was not deposed until 4 April 1689, when the Scottish Convention of Estates declared that he had forfeited the crown.[40] His Scottish deposition was not linked to his flight on 11 December 1688, but to his misdemeanours generally.[4]
  3. ↑ That is, heir of the Stuart pretenders based on male-preference primogeniture. The dates given are the dates of the death of the individual’s predecessor in the line of succession and their own death.
  4. 1 2 Terry (1901) numbers Mary, Queen of Scots, as Mary II (considering her the rightful queen after Mary I of England) whereas Petrie (1950) does not.

References

  1. ↑ Richard Alleyne; Harry de Quetteville (7 April 2008). "Act repeal could make Franz Herzog von Bayern new King of England and Scotland". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 17 June 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "James II". BBC History. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 William A. Speck (2013). "William III and the Three Kingdoms". In David Onnekink; Esther Mijers (eds.). Redefining William III: The Impact of the King-Stadholder in International Context. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. pp. 39–40. ISBN 978-1-4094-7973-4.
  4. 1 2 3 William Ferguson (1994). Scotland's Relations with England: A Survey to 1707. The Saltire Society. p. 172. ISBN 978-0-85411-058-2.
  5. ↑ Sharon Adams; Julian Goodare (2014). Scotland in the Age of Two Revolutions. Boydell & Brewer Ltd. p. 235. ISBN 978-1-84383-939-2.
  6. 1 2 3 Richard Cavendish (2001). "The Act of Settlement". History Today. 51 (6). Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  7. ↑ John Van der Kiste (2008). William and Mary: Heroes of the Glorious Revolution. History Press Limited. pp. 114–115. ISBN 978-0-7509-4577-6.
  8. ↑ David C. Thompson (2007). "The Confessional Dimension". In Brendan Simms; Torsten Riotte (eds.). The Hanoverian Dimension in British History, 1714–1837. Cambridge University Press. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-139-46187-0.
  9. ↑ Anne Somerset (2012). Queen Anne: The Politics of Passion. Harper Press. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-00-720376-5.
  10. ↑ Prof. Christopher A Whatley (2006). Scots and the Union. Edinburgh University Press. p. 217. ISBN 978-0-7486-2876-6.
  11. ↑ Robert Armstrong (2014). "The War of the Three Kings, 1689–91". In Alvin Jackson (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Modern Irish History. Oxford University Press. p. 528. ISBN 978-0-19-166760-2.
  12. ↑ "Research Briefings: RP 99-17 The Act of Settlement". The Scottish Parliament. 14 December 1999. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  13. 1 2 3 4 “James Edward, the Old Pretender | Claimant to the English and Scottish thrones”, “Charles Edward, the Young Pretender | British prince” "Henry Stuart, cardinal duke of York | British pretender". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  14. 1 2 "The Jacobite Cause". BBC History. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  15. ↑ J. G. A. Pocock (1996). "Political Thought in the English-speaking Atlantic 1760-1790, Part 1: The Imperial Crisis". In J. G. A. Pocock; Gordon J. Schochet; Lois Schwoerer (eds.). The Varieties of British Political Thought, 1500-1800. Cambridge University Press. p. 246. ISBN 978-0-521-57498-3.
  16. ↑ Murray Pittock (1998). Jacobitism. Macmillan International Higher Education. p. 2. ISBN 978-1-349-26908-2.
  17. ↑ Edward Corp (2004). A Court in Exile: The Stuarts in France, 1689-1718. Cambridge University Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-521-58462-3.
  18. ↑ Edward Corp (2011). The Stuarts in Italy, 1719-1766: A Royal Court in Permanent Exile. Cambridge University Press. p. 346–. ISBN 978-0-521-51327-2.
  19. ↑ Geoffrey Holmes; D. Szechi (2014). The Age of Oligarchy: Pre-Industrial Britain 1722-1783. Routledge. p. 370–. ISBN 978-1-317-89426-1.
  20. ↑ Jeremy Black (2002). European International Relations 1648-1815. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-137-22392-0.
  21. ↑ Paul Kleber Monod (1993). Jacobitism and the English People, 1688-1788. Cambridge University Press. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-521-44793-5.
  22. ↑ Frank O’Gorman (2005). "Ordering the Political World: The Pattern of Politics in Eighteenth-Century Britain (1660-1832)". In Frank O'Gorman; Diana Donald (eds.). Ordering the World in the Eighteenth Century. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-230-51888-9.
  23. ↑ Paul Kleber Monod (1993). Jacobitism and the English People, 1688-1788. Cambridge University Press. p. 307. ISBN 978-0-521-44793-5.
  24. ↑ John Pemble (2017). The Rome We Have Lost. Oxford University Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-19-880396-6.
  25. ↑ Edward Corp (2016). "The Alternative to the House of Hanover: The Stuarts in Exile 1714-1745". In Andreas Gestrich; Michael Schaich (eds.). The Hanoverian Succession: Dynastic Politics and Monarchical Culture. Routledge. p. 252. ISBN 978-1-317-02932-8.
  26. 1 2 3 Charles Petrie (1950). The Jacobite Movement (Vol. 2). Eyre & Spottiswoode. p. 194.
  27. ↑ James Cooray Smith (16 May 2016). "Lines of duty: Tales of the Jacobites, and other alternative successions". New Statesman. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  28. ↑ Desmond Seward (2019). King Over the Water: A Complete History of the Jacobites. Birlinn. p. 309. ISBN 978-1-78885-307-1.
  29. ↑ Murray G. H. Pittock (2014). The Invention of Scotland (Routledge Revivals): The Stuart Myth and the Scottish Identity, 1638 to the Present. Routledge. pp. 124–127. ISBN 978-1-317-60526-3.
  30. 1 2 3 Justin Huggler (17 September 2014). "Could the Duke of Bavaria be the next King of Scotland?". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  31. ↑ Daniel Szechi (1994). The Jacobites: Britain and Europe, 1688-1788. Manchester University Press. pp. 133–134. ISBN 978-0-7190-3774-0.
  32. ↑ "Jacobite uprising: 'To us, 1745 doesn't feel that long ago; in evolutionary terms it's nothing'". The Scotsman. 21 August 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  33. 1 2 James Panton (2011). Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy. Scarecrow Press. p. 466. ISBN 978-0-8108-7497-8.
  34. 1 2 Vernon Bogdanor (1995). The Monarchy and the Constitution. Clarendon Press. pp. 42–43. ISBN 978-0-19-829334-7.
  35. ↑ David M. Walker (1990). A legal history of Scotland Volume 2. W. Green. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-414-00912-7.
  36. ↑ Marcus Merriman (2000). The rough wooings: Mary Queen of Scots 1542-1551. Tuckwell. p. 16. ISBN 9781862320901.
  37. ↑ Ivor Jennings (2010). Party Politics: Volume 2: The Growth of Parties. Cambridge University Press. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-521-13794-2.
  38. 1 2 Robert P. Barnes (1973). "James VII's Forfeiture of the Scottish Throne". Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies. 5 (4): 308. doi:10.2307/4048254. JSTOR 4048254.
  39. 1 2 Evelyn Lord (2004). The Stuarts' Secret Army: English Jacobites, 1689-1752. Pearson Longman. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-582-77256-4.
  40. ↑ Sharon Adams; Julian Goodare (2014). Scotland in the Age of Two Revolutions. Boydell & Brewer Ltd. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-84383-939-2.
  41. ↑ Henry Kamen (2003). Who's Who in Europe 1450-1750. Routledge. pp. 63, 157. ISBN 1-134-75547-3.
  42. ↑ John Baptiste Wolf (1970). Toward a European balance of power, 1620-1715. Rand McNally. p. 92.
  43. ↑ Gary S. De Krey (2007). Restoration and Revolution in Britain: Political Culture in the Era of Charles II and the Glorious Revolution. Macmillan International Higher Education. p. 261. ISBN 978-1-137-05228-5.
  44. 1 2 3 Jeremy Black (2007). The Hanoverians: The History of a Dynasty. A&C Black. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-85285-581-9.
  45. ↑ Daniel Szechi (1994). The Jacobites: Britain and Europe, 1688-1788. Manchester University Press. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-7190-3774-0.
  46. ↑ Neil Guthrie (2013). The Material Culture of the Jacobites. Cambridge University Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-107-04133-2.
  47. 1 2 Murray G. H. Pittock (2014). "Charles Edward Stuart, known as the Young Pretender, Bonnie Prince Charlie (1720–1788)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/5145. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  48. ↑ David Maxwell Walker (1988). A Legal History of Scotland: The eighteenth century. W. Green. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-567-00526-7.
  49. 1 2 3 "Henry Stuart, cardinal duke of York | British pretender". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  50. ↑ Neil Guthrie (2013). The Material Culture of the Jacobites. Cambridge University Press. pp. 154–157. ISBN 978-1-107-65873-8.
  51. 1 2 James Cusick (4 June 1995). "Bavarians, a bed-sit and the throne of Scotland". The Independent. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  52. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Charles Petrie (1950). The Jacobite Movement (Vol. 2). Eyre & Spottiswoode. pp. 187, 194.
  53. 1 2 David Williamson (1988). Debrett's Kings and Queens of Europe. Salem House. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-88162-364-2.
  54. ↑ Charles Petrie (1950). The Jacobite Movement (Vol. 2). Eyre & Spottiswoode. p. 183.
  55. 1 2 3 Robert F. J. Parsons (1986). The Role of Jacobitism in the Modern World. p. 10.
  56. 1 2 Henry Jenner (1909). "Who Is the Heir of the Duchy of Brittany?". The Celtic Review. 6 (21): 52–53. doi:10.2307/30070199. JSTOR 30070199.
  57. 1 2 3 Benjamin Stites Terry (1901). A History of England from the Earliest Times to the Death of Queen Victoria. Scott, Foresman. p. 805.
  58. ↑ Anne Commire (2000). Women in World History Vol. 10. Gale. p. 315. ISBN 978-0-7876-4069-9.
  59. ↑ Bernard Burke (1850). The Heraldic Register: 1849-1850 : with an Annotated Obituary. E. Churton. p. 6.
  60. ↑ Bertold Spuler (1977). Rulers and governments of the world Vol. 2. Bowker. p. 356. ISBN 978-0-85935-009-9.
  61. ↑ Desmond Seward (2019). King Over the Water: A Complete History of the Jacobites. Birlinn. p. 307. ISBN 978-1-78885-307-1.
  62. ↑ David Williamson (1988). Debrett's Kings and Queens of Europe. Salem House. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-88162-364-2.
  63. ↑ Robert F. J. Parsons (1986). The Role of Jacobitism in the Modern World. p. 13.
  64. ↑ Ulrich Trumpener (1999). "Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria". In Spencer Tucker; Laura Matysek Wood; Justin D. Murphy (eds.). The European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. p. 607. ISBN 978-0-8153-3351-7.
  65. ↑ "Obituaries: Princess Irmingard of Bavaria". The Telegraph. 8 November 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  66. ↑ Almanach de Gotha: Annual Genealogical Reference Vol. 1. Almanach de Gotha. 2004. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-9532142-5-9.
  67. 1 2 Alan Cowell (11 July 1996). "Duke Albrecht Is Dead at 91; Pretender to Bavarian Throne". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  68. 1 2 Giles Hattersley (16 October 2011). "Sorry, Wills, Franz gets the crown". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
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