James II of England James II of England James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685 until he was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. He was the last Roman Catholic monarch of England, Scotland and Ireland. The second surviving son of Charles I, he ascended the throne upon the death of his brother, Charles II. Members of Britain's Protestant political elite increasingly suspected him of being pro-French and pro-Catholic and of having designs on becoming an absolute monarch. When
Roman Catholic relief bills "Roman Catholic Oath", to be imposed upon those who desire to enjoy its benefits. it likewise added something in the way of penal legislation by a clause prohibiting religious orders of men to receive new members, and subjecting those who should disobey to banishment as misdemeanants. Finally, in 1871 (34 and 35 Victoria, c. 48) the Roman Catholic Oath was abolished, as also the declaration against Transubstantiation. The other final impositions, such as admittance to Catholic religious orders and public processions being illegal, were repealed with the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1926. When Elizabeth became Queen of England, her