Overview: King James II succeeded his brother King Charles II in 1685. He was a Catholic monarch of a Protestant nation and attempts had already been made to prevent him from claiming the throne. The last of the Stuart Kings would reign for only three years and it would be his own daughter, Mary, who would cause his downfall. She, along with her husband William of Orange, would overthrow the House Of Stuart and see King James II sent into exile. It was also the end of the powerful Wynn family of North Wales. Their status would rise and fall with the Stuart Kings that they served.