Three strikes and you're out!

Painting: Alister Grant Mohr, the Lairds Champion by Richard Waitt Song: early C18th Jacobite protest song, sung by Ewan McColl. If you didn’t understand the meaning of the lyrics, they will be explained during this talk..

[Audio] Our story runs through 100 eventful years of British history. Though this story isn’t just British, Events in Europe were also impacting Britain. It’s time when the British monarchy went from being homegrown (English and Scottish) to being German. The current monarchy of the United Kingdom is descended from German Princes. Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten Windsor Is our current king’s full name. George 5 changed his surname from Saxe Coburg Gotha to Windsor in 1917, when was it unpatriotic to have a German surname. George V’s cousin also changed his surname from Battenberg to Mountbatten at the same time. The Surname changed again to Mountbatten Windsor when Philip Mountbatten married Elizabeth Windsor..

[Audio] House of Stuart The house of Stuart began when a gay Yorkshire born Scotsman was forced to marry a 21-year old French widow: Lord Darnley and Mary Queen of Scots. A particularly unlucky family: She lost her head; there were several attempts to murder her son, including an attempt to Blow Up the houses of Parliament and her Grandson, took his kingdom into a civil war and he lost his head for it. Click Today’s talk tells of why Mary Queen of Scots great grandson deserted his kingdom and how his male heirs tried to get it back. This is their story..

[Audio] Death of Charles 2 We have a pretty, witty king, Whose word no man relies on, He never said a foolish thing, And never did a wise one. (Earl of Rochester). Eldest son of Charles 1st. Had an affair with Lucy Walter while in exile in Flanders. She later claimed that Charles had married her in secret. They had a son from this affair: James Crofts. In total Charles 2nd had 11 illegitimate children. Although he was married, he never had a legitimate heir. Without any legitimate air. The throne would pass to his nearest male relative, his brother James Duke of York. During his lifetime Charles 2nd recognised first illegitimate son, James Crofts as his, making him the Duke of Monmouth. James Duke of York was a known catholic. Parliament had tried to put through a Bill removing James from the line of succession, so Charles, like his father dissolved Parliament. Charles died February 1685. On the last evening of his life he was received into the Catholic Church, in the presence of Father John Huddleston. James Duke of York became king in April 1685..

[Audio] James 2nd had spent years in exiles – more at his mother’s catholic court in France, rather than in Flanders like Charles 2nd. He secretly married Anne Hyde. Her father Edward Hyde had been a statesman and diplomat for Charles 1st and advisor to Charles 2nd when in exile. Edward Hyde was made Earl of Clarendon following Charles 2nd coronation. Clarendon was involved in a few intrigues, plots and poor advice, eventually being exiled by Charles 2nd in 1667. James 2nd and Anne had two daughters. Charles 2 arranged their marriages: Mary, married to William of Orange when she was 15. A political marriage as part of an Anglo Dutch Alliance. It was originally planned that Anne was to marry Georg of Hanover. However, when Georg married Sophia Dorothea of Celle to solidify the Hanover inheritance this marriage was not possible. A new suitor was found for Anne, and she was married to Prince of Denmark when she was 17. James also had a mistress, Arabella Churchill, sister to the army officer John Churchill. Although he’d been a practicing Catholic since 1668, he continued to attend Anglican mass. In 1673 he officially converted to Catholicism. Although a catholic, his two daughters were raised as protestants. His reign started Shakely with two rebellions..