James II
By W.A. Speck
2002
First Published
3.77
Average Rating
192
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Part of Series
Forced out of power in the"Glorious Revolution" of 1688, and defeated in the subsequent battle of the Boyne by William of Orange, the short reign of James II has an importance that reaches far beyond his three years in power. An ardent Roman Catholic, his efforts to return England to the Catholic faith resonate to this day in Northern Ireland. Similarly, his attacks on the representative institutions that had been developing since the Restoration, alienated an initially enthusiastic parliament. William Speck looks at all these issues through the figure of the King. Far more broad-ranging than other histories of James II, the book examines James' role in the American colonies - assigned to him by his brother Charles II - his role in Scotland between 1679 and 1862, and his final exercise of power in Ireland.
Avg Rating
3.77
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Author
W.A. Speck
Author · 5 books
William Arthur Speck (born 1938) is a British historian specializing in late 17th and 18th-century British and American history. Speck was educated at Bradford Grammar School and The Queen's College, Oxford, gaining a BA in 1960 and a D.Phil in 1966. He is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Leeds and a Special Professor in the School of English Studies at the University of Nottingham where he co-convenes an Interdisciplinary Eighteenth-Century Research Seminar.
