James Scott, Duke of Monmouth
James Scott (originally born James Croft) was the First Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch. He was born on April 9th, 1649 in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and was actually an illegitimate son of the future King of England Charles II. His mother, Lucy Walter was a mistress of the prince and she later followed her son when he went into exile after the death of Charles father, Charles I.
Lucy Walter had quite an unsavoury reputation nearly equalling that of her husband and to this day it is not really known for certain that Charles indeed fathered the young James. Further rumours during the time also alleged that Charles and Lucy did in fact marry which would mean that James was a qualified heir to the throne of England. While Charles did recognize James as his own son, the monarch stopped short of making James the heir to his throne. Lucy died a short time later and when Charles ascended to the throne he remarried, this time to the Princess of Portugal, Catherine of Braganza.
James Scott was bestowed the title of Duke of Monmouth at a very young age, when he was 14 years old in 1663. He assumed this title a short time after arriving in England, along with the secondary titles of Earl of Doncaster and Baron Scott of Tyndale. These three titles of James fell under the jurisdiction of the Peerage of England. A further title was bestowed on James upon his marriage to the 4th Countess of Buccleuch, Anne Scott. Anne came from a very wealthy family and the day after the marriage ceremony, the two were given the title Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch.
James was unfortunately ill equipped for the demands of government office although he attracted many avid supporters mainly by virtue of his religious affiliation. Since he was a Protestant, this made him a far more popular figure among the Protestants in England than the Catholic brother of Charles II, James the Duke of York, who was the legitimate heir to the throne at that time.
The year 1665 saw James enlisting in the army at age 16 where he served in the English fleet under the command of his uncle the Duke of York, and saw action in the second war between The Netherlands and England. He went on to become the commander of his own troop of cavalry when he returned to England after the war. Just a few short years later, James was promoted to the position of Colonel in the King's Life Guards which was quite an accomplishment for someone so young. This position was previously reserved for only the most senior of officers.
Many more glorious victories on the battlefield marked James' military career and many assumed that he would be the next heir to the throne. However, after making a failed attempt to wrest control of the monarchy from his uncle in what became known as the Monmouth rebellion, James was captured and subsequently executed.
James Scott died on July 18th, 1685 in Tower Hill, England.
Original Authors: Doods Pangburn
Edit Update Authors: M.A.Harris
Updated On: 25/07/2008
