The Making of King James II: The Formative Years of a Fallen King

by John Callow

Callow (history, Lancaster U.) follows the last Stuart king through the quarter-century ebb and flow of fortune before he mounted the British throne in 1685 after the sudden and unexpected death of his brother Charles II. He finds that James' loyalty to his brother made him a valuable lieutenant, but that his harsh treatment of subjects destabilized English politics for a generation. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Genres: History

373 pages, Hardcover

First published November 25, 2000

About the author

John Callow gained a First Class BA Honours degree from Lancaster University, an MA with distinction from Durham. and holds a Doctorate from Lancaster University, that was funded by the British Academy.

Reviews

[Chris Fluit · Rating 1 out of 5]

An awful chore of a book. Spends way too much time arguing with previous biographers, including most of the first 30 pages. Quotes secondary sources way more than primary ones (though that's somewhat excused by a dearth of primary sources after James' autobiographical notes were burned). Long-winded, run-on sentences. Mentions events out of order, like Charles II being crowned in Scotland before Charles I has been executed. Omits key details, like why the Duke of Monmouth would be James' rival to throne (he's Charles II's illegitimate son but the author doesn't bother to mention that). Makes illogical arguments to defend James' own poor behavior. Simply awful.