# King James II — The History of Henry Esmond character guide

> King James II in The History of Henry Esmond by William Makepeace Thackeray.

**Role:** minor

**Also known as:** King James, the unfortunate King James, James the Third

**First appearance:** 0008-v-my-superiors-are-engaged-in-plots-for-the-restoration-of-king-james-ii

## Who they are

The deposed Catholic king whose restoration is plotted by Jacobites.

## Relationships

### [Henry Esmond](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_history_of_henry_esmond_se/characters/henry_esmond)

_professional_

Henry Esmond briefly serves King James II as a page and later is involved in Jacobite plots, but their relationship is formal and political.

### [Henry Esmond](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_history_of_henry_esmond_se/characters/henry_esmond)

_professional_

Henry Esmond briefly serves King James II as a page and later is involved in Jacobite plots, but their relationship is formal and political.

## In the story

### [Book I: The Early Youth of Henry Esmond, Up to the Time of His Leaving Trinity College, in Cambridge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_history_of_henry_esmond_se/chapters/book-i-the-early-youth-of-henry-esmond-up-to-the-time-of-his-leaving-trinity-college-in-cambridge)

Referenced as the exiled king whose court the old Lord Castlewood attended.

### [II: Relates How Francis, Fourth Viscount, Arrives at Castlewood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_history_of_henry_esmond_se/chapters/ii-relates-how-francis-fourth-viscount-arrives-at-castlewood)

Mentioned as the king who touched the sickly child of Thomas and Isabel, though the child later died.

### [III: I Take the Queen's Pay in Quin's Regiment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_history_of_henry_esmond_se/chapters/iii-i-take-the-queen-s-pay-in-quin-s-regiment)

Exiled king; his miraculous cures and relics are fervently believed in by the Dowager; his son James III is the Jacobite claimant.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_history_of_henry_esmond_se/characters/king_james_ii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_history_of_henry_esmond_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_history_of_henry_esmond_se/characters