James II, five guineas, 1688, QVARTO, second bust, laur. head l., rev. crowned cruciform shields, sceptres in angles (S.3397A), certified and graded by NGC as Extremely Fine 45
One of only four examples graded XF45 by NGC, none are graded higher.
James II abdicated the throne and fled England on 11 December 1688. He had become embroiled what could have turned into another religious war between Catholics and Protestants. The ongoing tensions worsened when James II married the Roman Catholic princess, Mary of Modena, in 1673 having been widowed when his first wife, Anne Hyde, died. By 1678, his Catholicism had caused concern significant enough that three successive parliaments tried to remove him from the line of succession. For much of this period James was in exile. However, when he was crowned king in 1685, he was met with little opposition. By the summer of that year, two rebellions broke out, which made James highly suspicious, and he increased the size of his army, and the new regiments were appointed to Roman Catholics. This trend of appointing Catholics was to continue, as James gave power to people that he knew would be loyal to him. It is said that by 1687 the King's mind was beginning to deteriorate, which did not aid his unpopular reputation. The people were further suspicious of James when his wife suddenly became pregnant in November that year. A pregnancy which would have secured a Catholic succession (two of James's children by Anne Hyde - Mary and Anne were raised in the Protestant faith, at the instance of the previous king, Charles II). James's wife, Mary, had birthed five children, none of whom had survived, probably due to James's affliction with venereal disease. When the child – a son – was born a month early, it was rumoured that the child was not hers, but had been sourced to provide a Catholic heir. These rumours gave William of Orange a reason to invade in November 1688, Mary and her son managed to escape on 11 December, while James was allowed to leave on 23 December. By February 1689, parliament invited his protestant daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange to co-rule as king and queen, it created a turning point in British history, in which Protestantism was solidified as the national religion.
(12500-15000 GBP)