The Stuarts were mainly a Protestant group. England had been under the thumb of the Catholic Church for years but when James I came along, he ordered all the Catholics out of England. This really did not sit well and there was even a plot to blow him up which they still celebrate to this day named Gunfire Night. His wife did not endear herself to the people of England because she spent ridiculous amounts of money on herself and her residence just because she felt she should be able to since she was royalty. James further aggravated the English by saying only he could decide church doctrine and furthermore he was not answerable to laws - only to God. When he died, England was left a lot of debts. His son did not improve the situation because he wanted to go to war with France and Spain. When Parliament would not readily give him the money needed he dismissed the Parliament and ruled for 11 years using the same idea as his father - Divine Rule of the King. Cromwell (not a Stuart) took over for the people until Charles II was invited to come be the king during the Glorious Restoration. He wasn't any better with money and had to marry outside of England to someone with a large dowry to get money When Charles II died, his brother James II took the throne and decided he would be Catholic. The people and Parliament had worked very hard to keep James II from the throne but he won. A Duke tried to defeat him but James II won. He was responsible for treason trials where more than 300 people were sentenced to death and 800 were sold into slavery. The people revolted and James II was reminded that his father had been beheaded and it might be nice for him to take a long, extended vacation to France. He left the throne to his son-in-law and daughter (William and Mary). They were avowed Protestants that could not sway the people of Ireland. When they died, the sister of Mary became queen. However, after 17 births, not one child lived to succeed her to the throne.
