The Last Royal Rebel

March 21, 2016
Keay (The Magnificent Monarch) seeks to rehabilitate the image of James, Duke of Monmouth (1649–1685), the oldest illegitimate child of the “Merry Monarch,” Charles II of England. She emphasizes Monmouth’s transformation from an unstable royal mistress’s hungry child into a “selfish wastrel” and then “principled politician.” London’s National Portrait Gallery describes Monmouth as “charming, ambitious, and unprincipled,” adding to the duke’s popular depiction as a womanizing opportunist on a quest to supplant his father’s brother as heir to the throne. While Monmouth initially dives into frivolity, later military experience gave him a greater empathy and a hero’s reputation. Keay understates the influence of Lucy Walters (Charles II’s mistress and Monmouth’s mother) and neglects the Duchess of Portsmouth’s role in shocking treaty negotiations with the French, but she beautifully explores the relationships Monmouth had with his father; the Duke of York (later James II); and his cousin and friend William of Orange. Monmouth earned the dedication of his soldiers and commoners while laying a road map to the throne for William, who succeeded James II only three years later. Keay’s portrayal softens Monmouth’s own quest for the throne, though she convincingly describes him as a complex and sympathetic figure who was doomed by his family’s fracturing due to England’s religious struggles.

April 15, 2016

James Scott, first Duke of Monmouth (1649-85), the subject of this engaging biography, was the eldest illegitimate child of Charles II of England. Charles was renowned for his licentious ways, and he had many offspring with a string of mistresses, but none were as dear to him, or as critical to the history of England, as Scott. Monmouth is not well known historically, but as Keay (The Magnificent Monarch: Charles II and the Ceremonies of Power) describes, he might have been king. The most remarkable passages are the descriptions of Monmouth's popular rebellion. When he landed in South West England in 1685, the people rose to join him, swelling his ranks and empowering his cause as if victory were possible, which makes Monmouth's initial success so noteworthy and his eventual failure so tragic. Before the final act, Keay paints a picture of Restoration England and the fraught political and religious environment that led to the end of the Stuart dynasty. VERDICT Fans of all periods of English history, especially those who also enjoy fiction set in the Restoration, will race through this absorbing chronicle.--Cate Hirschbiel, Iwasaki Lib., Emerson Coll., Boston

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2016
Charles II sired 14 bastards but loved his first, James, most of all. Unfortunately, only legitimate children could inherit the throne.More admiring than most historians, British Landmark Trust director Keay (The Magnificent Monarch: Charles II and the Ceremonies of Power, 2008), the former curatorial director of English Heritage, delivers an insightful biography of a Restoration noble who was on friendly terms with contemporary rulers (Charles II, Louis XIV, William of Orange, James II) but lacked their guile or--in the case of James--malevolence. Born the same year his grandfather, Charles I, was beheaded, he was 11 when his father regained the throne. A typical Restoration libertine during his youth, he matured during the 1670s, becoming commander of Britain's army and a popular figure. The key event was the conversion of Charles' brother James to Catholicism, an action as controversial as a presidential candidate today converting to Islam. Despite this, Charles wanted his brother to succeed him. Although not the leader, Monmouth's participation in the failed campaign to deny James the throne infuriated his father, who exiled him. Charles' sudden death galvanized anti-Catholics, who persuaded the reluctant Monmouth that Britons would rise up if he arrived to lead them. They didn't, and the regular army crushed the 1685 rebellion. Monmouth was captured and executed, but James' vicious, prolonged revenge on his followers helped turn the nation against him. Minor historical characters get dull biographies, not because they were boring but because major historians prefer to tackle major figures, leaving lesser figures to scholars. No academic, Keay writes well, so readers will have no trouble following the story of this "legendary rogue." A lively and probably definitive biography of an ill-fated Restoration notable.

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