John Callow (1)

You have the biography of James II that goes into how the trauma of the English Civil War impacted his character. Under the tutelage of French Marshall Turenne he was serving his military apprenticeship and showed promise until such time that England and France signed a peace treaty depriving him of the experience of independent command. His experience was as a military subordinate and then later as his brother, Charles II's, loyal subordinate. His inflexibility in politics, religion, and show more belief in his kingship as a divine right helped end absolute monarchy in Britain. I loved the full color plates of National Portrait paintings and documents from the National Archive show less