Declaration of James Stuart, 1714

James Stuart, the ‘Old Pretender' (1688-1766) was the son of James II, whose Roman Catholic faith saw him deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688/89 when he was replaced  by William and Mary.  In 1714, when George I succeeded Queen Anne, James Stuart was exiled in France.  James sought support from Scotland for the return of a Catholic monarch and proceeded to spend the rest of his life plotting and leading revolts from abroad against George I.  The Declaration of James Stuart was issued from Lorraine in France and distributed in both manuscript and printed form to the leading members of England's nobility.  It begins with a brief history of James' claim to the throne, a promise of what England could be under his rule and claimed that, had Queen Anne lived longer, she would have been favourable to his cause.  James Stuart died in 1766, leaving his son Charles, 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' to continue to pursue his claim to the English throne.