England, London. James II - unsigned, by J. Smeltzing, 1685-1688, 1688
England, London. James II - unsigned, by J. Smeltzing, 1685-1688, 1688
AR Satirical Medal, 80.9g (59mm, 12h).
commemorating the birth of James Francis Edward Stuart ("The Old Pretender," b. 1688, d. 1766), called James III by the Jacobites. Personified Truth with radiant head stands facing and leaning against a cabinet, her left foot on a snake. Inside the cabinet stands a Jesuit facing l., holding a cushion resting on top of the cabinet, upon which sits the young Prince crowning himself / The Trojan Horse stands facing l., with the burning city of Troy behind.
Pedigree: From the collection of Andrew Cunningham Ware
References: Eimer 291; Fieweger Collection 594
Grade: Minor marks and dings. Minor hairline scratches. Toned EF
wc1350
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James II had two adult daughters from his first marriage to Lady Anne Hyde-Mary and Anne-who had been raised as Protestants. Since they would succeed him to the throne, the British accepted his reign despite his Catholicism. However, when his second Catholic wife, Maria of Modena, gave birth to a son, James Francis Edward, on June 18, 1688, the English leadership feared his succession, as the newborn heir would not belong to the Anglican Church, raising the prospect of permanent Catholic rule in England.
Immediately after the Prince's birth, doubts about his legitimacy emerged. Rumors claimed he was not the biological son of King James II, but rather a child substituted by the Jesuits for his mother. Both Mary and Anne were convinced by these rumors. On June 30 alone, seven British magnates wrote to James's son-in-law William of Orange requesting his intervention in England, and the English Queen brought her son to France in December 1688 for safety. At the château of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, James Francis Edward grew up with his youngest sister and was recognized by Louis XIV as the legitimate heir to the British throne. The Jacobites thus formed as the group supporting his claim.
After King James II's death on September 16, 1701, his followers proclaimed him King with the titles James III of England and James VIII of Scotland. On March 23, 1708, he landed on Scotland's east coast to assert his throne claims against the reigning Queen Anne. However, due to his Catholic faith, he was rejected, and instead, following Anne's death, George I of Hanover was called to the throne, becoming king in 1714 and establishing the Hanoverian line of the British royal house. After the death of French King Louis XIV, the Jacobite exile court relocated to Rome in 1719. James Francis Edward married Maria Clementina Sobieski of Poland, who bore him two sons, including the future Cardinal of Frascati. James Francis Edward Stuart rarely left Rome and received a state funeral upon his death. He is buried in St. Peter's Basilica alongside his wife and sons. During his time in Italy, he was continuously monitored by agents of the English Crown.