James II's troubled early reign
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain why James II's early reign was so troubled.
Key learning points
- In 1685, the Catholic James II succeeded Charles II; his succession was smooth despite England being Protestant.
- Soon after, James II had to defeat the Monmouth Rebellion which sought to depose him due to his Catholic beliefs.
- James II expanded the size of the army and appointed Catholics to important positions without Parliament's agreement.
- James II also attempted to bring greater freedoms to Catholics in England through the Declaration of Indulgence in 1687.
- The birth of James' son in 1688 scared his opponents about a possible Catholic succession.
Keywords
Parliament - an assembly of people with authority to make laws for a country
Anglican - a person who believes in the faith and practices of the Church of England
Rebellion - an act of armed resistance to an established government or leader
Common misconception
Only children of the monarch are next in line for the throne, not siblings.
As Charles II did not have any legitimate children, his heir was his brother, James II.
Teacher tip
Students could research James II's role in the trade of enslaved Africans through his involvement in the Royal African Company in order to help make links with other important events at this time.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word describes an act of armed resistance to an established government or leader?
Q2.Which word describes an assembly of people with authority to make laws for a country?
Q3.Which of the following was very important to early modern societies?
Q4.Put the following events and time periods in chronological order.
Q5.In 1685, James II became King of England. What century did this happen in?
Q6.Put the following English monarchs in order of who reigned earliest.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which keyword describes a person who believes in the faith and practices of the Church of England?
Q2.What religion was James II when he came to the throne in 1685?
Q3.Complete the sentence with the missing two words: James II had to defeat both the __________ Rebellion in Scotland and __________ Rebellion in the south of England in June 1685.
Q4.What did the Declaration of Indulgence in 1687 introduce?
Q5.What was significant about 10th June 1688?
Q6.How many rebels were executed following the 1685 rebellions?
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: James II's troubled early reign, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: James II's troubled early reign, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
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