Charles Stuart (7 November 167712 December 1677) was the first of two sons and third of seven children born from the marriage between

James, Duke of York James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...

(later James II of England & VII of Scotland) and Mary of Modena. He was styled ''

Duke of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge is a hereditary title of nobility in the British royal family, one of several royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom. The title is named after the city of Cambridge in England. It is heritable by agnatic, male descendants by pr ...

'', but never formally created so, as he died aged one month.

Life

At the time of his birth at

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, England. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster. Although no longer the principal residence ...

, 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's birth, his uncle,

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

, had no legitimate children and his

queen consort A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...

Catherine of Braganza Catherine of Braganza (; 25 November 1638 – 31 December 1705) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland during her marriage to Charles II of England, King Charles II, which la ...

, was reaching the age of 40 and it was clear that she would have no children and that the Duke of York would succeed as King. Because all of James's sons with his first wife, Anne Hyde, were dead, the newborn Charles was in direct line to the throne, a possibility that caused concern in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

because both James and Mary were

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

and the majority of people wanted a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

monarch. Like so many of his brothers and sisters, the infant lived for a little more than a month, dying on 12 December the same year he was born. Charles was buried in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

, on 13 December 1677. His younger brother was

James Francis Edward Stuart James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs (British political party), Whigs or the King over the Water by Jacobitism, Jacobites, was the House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of Ki ...

, ''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''.

Ancestry

, -

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cambridge, Duke of, Stuart, Charles 1677 births 1677 deaths 17th-century English nobility Nobility from London Dukes of Cambridge Courtesy dukes English princes Scottish princes House of Stuart Children of James II of England Burials at Westminster Abbey British royalty who died as children Sons of kings Heirs apparent who never acceded