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Mary of Modena (Italian: Maria Beatrice Eleonora Anna Margherita Isabella d'Este; 5 October [O.S. 25 September] 1658 – 7 May [O.S. 26 April] 1718) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of James II and VII.
Mary of Modena (born October 5, 1658, Modena, Modena [Italy]—died May 7, 1718, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France) was the second wife of King James II of England; it was presumably on her inducement that James fled from England during the Glorious Revolution (1688–89).
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Mary of Modena (Maria Beatrice Eleonora Anna Margherita Isabella d'Este; 05 October [ O.S. 25 September] 1658 – 7 May [ O.S. 26 April] 1718) was Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland. She was the second wife of King James II. Mary was a very firm Catholic.
Maria was born in the Ducal Palace of Modena on 5 October 1658 to Alfonso IV, Duke of Modena, and Laura Martinozzi. She was educated in the Monastery of the Visitation and, even as a young girl, expressed a profound sense of religion and a desire to enter convent life; nevertheless, she was promised as the wife of the Prince of York, James II ...
Feb 4, 2024 · Learn about the life and scandals of Mary of Modena, the Catholic wife of James II and Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Find out how she was accused of plotting against the Protestant establishment and giving birth to a fake heir.
Mary of Modena was the second wife of James II, the deposed king of England who tried to restore Catholicism. She gave birth to a son, James Francis Edward Stuart, who became the Old Pretender, and faced accusations of a fake pregnancy and a smuggled baby.
Mary of Modena was a devout Catholic, and both she and her religion were viewed as threats to the Protestant succession. After many pregnancies, the queens only surviving son, James Francis Edward, was born in...
