An English Court in a French Château: The Apartments of James II and his Family at Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Abstract

From 1689, James II, king of England and Scotland, deposed by the Glorious Revolution, together with his wife Mary of Modena and their children, lived in the château of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, close to Versailles, put at their disposal by the king of France. In accordance with his will to ensure that his cousin was still seen as a king, Louis XIV granted him use of his own royal apartment. But after a few years, James decided to move to another apartment where he seems to have attempted to live in a manner more in keeping with the ceremonial traditions of the English monarchy. However, after his death, his son the ‘Old Pretender’ did not maintain the same layout: more than conforming to the tradition of his country, his main aim seems to have been to proclaim that, even in exile, he was still a king.