Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (1677)

Charles
Duke of Cambridge
Born	7 November 1677 St James's Palace, London
Died	12 December 1677 (aged 35 days) St James's Palace, London
Burial	Westminster Abbey
House	House of Stuart
Father	James, Duke of York
Mother	Mary of Modena

Charles Stuart (7 November 1677 – 12 December 1677) was the first of two sons and third of seven children born from the marriage between James, Duke of York (later James II of England & VII of Scotland) and Mary of Modena. He was styled Duke of Cambridge, but never formally created so, because he died so young.

At the time of his birth at St James's Palace, Charles was the second surviving child of James and Mary, a sister, Catherine Laura, having died the previous year. Another sister, Isabella, one year older than Charles, died at the age of four in 1681. At the time of Charles' birth, his uncle, Charles II of England, had no legitimate children and his queen consort, Catherine of Braganza, was reaching the age of 40 and it was clear enough that she would have no children and that the Duke of York would succeed as King.^[1]

Because all of James' sons with his first wife, Anne Hyde, were dead, the newborn Charles would then succeed to the throne, which was a possibility that caused much concern in England and Scotland because both James and Mary were Catholics and the majority of people wanted a Protestant monarch.^[1] Like so many of his brothers and sisters, the infant Duke lived for a little more than a month, dying on 12 December the same year he was born, but his parents' beliefs cost them their crowns.^[1] Charles was buried in Westminster Abbey, on 13 December 1677.^[1] His younger brother was James Francis Edward Stuart, The Old Pretender.

Arms

During his short life, Charles bore a coat of arms, as a grandson of a British Sovereign, consisting those of the kingdom, differenced by a label argent of five points ermine.^[2]

Ancestors

Ancestors of Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (1677)

16. Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley               8. James I of England                       17. Mary, Queen of Scots               4. Charles I of England                             18. Frederick II of Denmark               9. Princess Anne of Denmark                       19. Sofie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin               2. James II of England                                   20. Antoine of Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme               10. Henry IV of France                       21. Jeanne III of Navarre               5. Princess Henrietta Maria of France                             22. Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany               11. Marie de' Medici                       23. Archduchess Johanna of Austria               1. Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge                                         24. Alfonso III d'Este, Duke of Modena               12. Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena                       25. Isabella of Savoy               6. Alfonso IV d'Este, Duke of Modena                             26. Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma               13. Maria Farnese                       27. Margherita Aldobrandini               3. Mary of Modena                                   28. Vincenzo Martinozzi               14. Hieronymus Martinozzi                       29. Margherita Marcolini               7. Laura Martinozzi                             30. Peter Mazarini               15. Laura Mazarini                       31. Hortense Buffalini

References

1. Panton 2011, p. 455.
2. "Marks of Cadency in the British Royal family". Retrieved 27 December 2011.

Bibliography

• Panton, Kenneth J. (2011). Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy. G - Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-5779-0.