Jakob II. (VII.) folgte seinem Bruder Karl II. Stuart als der nächste König von England, Schottland und Irland und machte sich bei seinen Untertanen sofort sehr unbeliebt. Er verfolgte die Dissenters ohne Erbarmen, steckte sie in England in Gefängnisse, verordnete hohe Geldstrafen und ruinierte viele Familien. In Schottland ließ er die Männer erschießen und die Frauen ertränken. Man suchte nach Alternativen für Jakob II. (VII.) und fand sie z. B. im unehelichen Sohn von Karl II. Stuart, James Scott (1649-1685), dem Herzog von Monmouth. "... he [James Scott] landed [with a few followers] at Lyme Regis, but their hopes [der Protestanten] were cruelly shattered with the rout of his forces by the royalist troops at Sedgemoor in July, 1685 ... Soon after the defeat Monmouth was sentenced to death, and the beautiful head of the romantic young leader of the western Protestants was cut off at the Tower. Then it was that the fanatical King James began to show his hand. Not only were 800 of the simple, godly folk of Somerset and Dorset sent to the West Indies, but 300 of them were hanged by Judge Jeffreys at the 'Bloody Assize', and the men and women of western England saw the dismembered remains of their loved ones displayed upon their own market places and highways. ... The country was now in a ferment. This was brought to a head by the trial of the seven bishops and the birth of the Prince of Wales [Jakob (III.) oder James Francis Edward Stuart (1688-1766)]. On June 30th, 1688, an invitation signed by Peers and Bishops was sent to William of Orange, urging him to come to England ... Both Tories and Whigs now agreed to strike the fatal blow to the King's power as soon as William would land in England. ... William landed in Torbay on November 5th amidst the great excitement of the people ...Deserted finally by most of his Protestant officers ... James returned to London and Whitehall. ... [the Privy Councillors and Peers] charged the people of London to keep the peace and wrote to the Prince of Orange desiring him to come at once to the capital and take the government of the nation into his hands, until the parliament could be called. ... In the meantime the King was prevailed upon by his priests to escape. The Queen and her child had already successfully reached one of the royal yachts and had been conveyed to France. On December 11th, at three o'clock in the morning, James left Whitehall with Sir Edward Hales disguised as the latter's servant. [sie wurden von Fischern entdeckt und gefangen genommen; letztendlich gelang Jakob II. (VII.) jedoch die Flucht, weil "alle die Augen schlossen", denn seine Flucht verhinderte schärfere Massnahmen ihm gegenüber, die man nicht anwenden wollte] ... 'The Glorious Revolution' had been accomplished without civil war or bloodshed, and all England rejoiced in the coming of the deliverer, William of Orange." (in: Marie Ruan Hopkinson: Anne of England – The Biography of a great Queen, id., pp. 95/104-107/110-111/113).
Die Untertanen des englisch-schottischen Königs Jakob II. (VII.) Stuart hatten recht: Jakob II. (VII.) wollte in seinem Königreich und in seinen Kolonien wieder den Katholizismus einführen: "The only source of the rebellion against us [Jakob II. (VII.) Stuart] is, that we embrace the Catholic faith; and we do not disown that to spread the same, not only in our three kingdoms, but over all the dispersed colonies of our subjects in America, was our determination." (in: Francis Lancelott: The Queens of England and their Times, Volume II, id., p. 769). Und damit hatten seine Untertanen, wie es die Bewohner von Nottingham sahen, das Recht, sich zu wehren: "We own that it is rebellion to resist our King that governs by law, but he [Jakob II. (VII.)] was always accounted a tyrant that made his will a law. To resist such an one we justly esteem, it no rebellion, but a necessary defence." (in: Francis Lancelott: The Queens of England and their Times, Volume II, id., p. 770).
Und damit begann das Ende von Jakobs Regierung als König von England, Schottland und Irland und seine Flucht und seine Zeit im Exil in Frankreich: "The time appointed for the escape of the Queen [Maria von Modena] and her son [Jakob III.] was the night of Sunday, the ninth of December [1688]. On that night, their Majesties retired to bed as usual; but, about twelve o’clock, they rose, and the Queen attired herself in the disguise of an Italian washerwoman, with the little Prince done up in the form of a bundle of linen, which, when necessary, she should carry under her arm. Thus prepared, she made the King repeat his promise to follow her in twenty-four hours, parted from him in tears, and, attended by two nurses, and conducted by Count de Lauzun and St. Victor - two brave Frenchmen, who generously came to England, and volunteered their services to the distressed King and Queen – stole out of Whitehall, proceeded in a coach, prepared for the purpose, to the Horseferry, at Westminster, and, although the night was dark, stormy, and freezing, stepped intrepidly into a small open boat, crossed the Thames in safety, and landed at Lambeth. Here the coach that had been ordered was not in attendance; the rain fell in showers, and the royal fugitives were forced to wait for half an hour or so under the open shelter of the walls of Old Lambeth Church. Fortunately the child slept the whole time … [es ging nach Gravesend], where they took their places in a common yacht, bound for Calais, on board of which they found several of the Queen’s household, who, like herself, were disguised in humble dress, and to avoid exciting suspicion, made an appearance of being strangers to each other. The wind being fair, the yacht put to sea the moment the Queen and her party came on board. … but they encountered a violent gale [im Ärmelkanal]. Maria and all the passengers were attacked with violent sea-sickness … The yacht reached Calais on the eleventh of December [es ging von dort über Boulogne zu einem kleinen Dorf Chatou, wo sie am 28. Dezember eintrafen] ... she was met at the pretty little village of Chatou by Louis XIV., who cordially welcomed her, tenderly kissed the little Prince of Wales, placed her at his right hand in his own coach, and in this manner conducted her to the splendid palace of St. Germains. ... [Am nächsten Tag traf auch der geflüchtete Jakob II. [VII.] ein] ... Indeed, the French Sovereign received the royal fugitives with expressions of sympathy and tokens of kindness and munificence that did honour to his heart. He paid them the same honours as if they had been in possession of the British throne, and allowed them 50,000 francs per month for the support of their household." (in: Francis Lancelott: The Queens of England and their Times, Volume II, id., pp. 770-772).