Stuart (Stewart) dynasty

Dynasty that ruled Scotland (1371-1714) and England (1603-1714), with an interregnum (1649-60). Their reign in England was troubled, as fears of absolutism helped provoke a civil war and the execution of Charles I. James II's insistence on adhering to Roman Catholicism helped drive him from the throne. After the death of his daughter, Queen Anne, the Hanoverian dynasty (invited by a group of leading Britons) ensured a Protestant succession. Pretenders such as Charles Edward Stuart still claimed the English and Scottish thrones, but their cause was lost at Culloden.