James II and Wales

The reign of James II was a dramatic failure in Wales. He became King when Welsh loyalty to the crown and church was strong. But his attacks on the church and his own adherents in Wales meant that loyalty to him quickly drained away. James’s treatment of the Welsh gentry, lawyers and politicians stimulated a spirit of opposition that strengthened as his Catholicising policies became more strident. Clergy members were at the forefront of resistance to the King; Bishop William Lloyd of St Asaph became one of the conspirators who sought to overthrow James and replace him with William of Orange; and, when it came, the Revolution of 1688 was much more turbulent in Wales than in England. This comprehensive study of a ruined reign shows the ways in which opinion turned against James in Wales, providing an account of a neglected period in Welsh history.  

‘Gibson has done scholarship a real service with this pioneering work on the neglected history of Wales during the brief but tumultuous reign of King James II. This volume provides an assured and penetrating examination of how it was that Wales, a Tory stronghold at James's accession, appeared in the vanguard of resistance to him in 1688–9. The book will constitute a key foundation for future scholarship into Welsh history under the later Stuart monarchs.’

Lloyd Bowen, Professor of Early Modern History, Cardiff University