How James II lost the armed forces and the crown

The digression distinguishes the fates of the Stuart kings: Charles I was executed, while Charles II returned from exile and remained on the throne despite his affairs and illegitimate children. James II's Catholic faith might have been tolerated had he kept it private. Instead, using Catholic identity as a qualification for senior army and navy commands undermined the loyalty of those institutions and alarmed a largely Protestant Parliament. Parliament then invited William and Mary, producing the settlement followed by the reign of Queen Anne. Religion, officer patronage, parliamentary fear, and armed-force loyalty combined to determine the succession.