Monmouth’s Rebellion

Historical Context Note

Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.04: English Writing and Culture of the Seventeenth Century, 1625-1688.
Vol. editors: Jennifer Brady (Rhodes College), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Neil Forsyth (Université de Lausanne), Claire Preston (Queen Mary, University of London), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University)

Domains

Civil Wars, Revolutions and Insurrections

Dates

Date of occurrence 1685-06-11

Places

United Kingdom (Location)

Resources

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Monmouth’s Rebellion in 1685, also known as the Pitchfork Rebellion, was an abortive attempt to overthrow the newly-crowned English monarch James II (VII of Scotland). To widespread Protestant dismay, the Roman Catholic James had succeeded his brother Charles II in February 1685. James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, claimed to be the rightful heir and attempted to foment uprisings in Great Britain, including one led by himself in the South West.

Monmouth was the illegitimate son of Charles II. Although there were rumours that Charles had married Monmouth’s mother, Lucy Walter, no evidence supports this. Monmouth’s Protestantism and military reputation, acquired during the Third Anglo-Dutch War, made him popular, but attempts to place him ahead of James in the line of

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443 words

Citation: Seager, Nicholas. "Monmouth’s Rebellion". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 August 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=735, accessed 23 April 2024.]

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