James II reigned from 1685, following the death of his brother Charles II, until 1688, when he was deposed in the Glorious Revolution. He was the last Roman Catholic monarch of England. He was a loyal and valuable lieutenant to Charles II. Before becoming king he held many important positions and exercised a great deal of power and patronage. However, on ascending to the throne he failed to harness political support and did not present an acceptable public image to his subjects. James II's obstinate and authoritarian behaviour lead to him being regarded as 'an impolitick prince'. Previously it has been suggested that his personality when king was the result of physical or mental degeneration. This book is the result of detailed research into James II's life before he became king and concludes that the flaws in his personality and behaviour were present from the start. The book has a small selection of black and white illustrations, mainly portraits of James II. There are extensive notes, a bibliography and an index.