Monmouth, << MON muhth >>, Duke of (1649-1685), was an Englishman who led an unsuccessful rebellion against King James II. Monmouth was the illegitimate son of Charles II and a Welsh woman named Lucy Walter, and was a pretender to the throne of England.
Monmouth was born James Scott in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on April 9, 1649. His father became King Charles II in 1660 after Richard Cromwell lost power. Charles called Scott back to England and made him Duke of Monmouth.
In 1685, Charles II died and his brother James II became king. Monmouth claimed to be the legitimate heir to the throne, on the false grounds that his parents had married. After consulting with supporters in the Netherlands, he landed at Lyme Regis, near Weymouth, and issued a proclamation declaring James a usurper, tyrant, and murderer. He rallied about 4,000 men in southwestern England to overthrow James. But he was defeated at the Battle of Sedgemoor, near Taunton, and taken to the king. Before a court headed by Lord Jeffreys, he begged for his life. But he was imprisoned in the Tower of London and executed on July 15, 1685.
