Mary of Modena

Mary of Modena, born on September twenty-fifth, sixteen fifty-eight, was an influential aristocrat who became Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland as the second wife of James VII and II. A devout Roman Catholic, she married James, the younger brother and heir presumptive of Charles II, and was deeply devoted to him and their children. Among their offspring, two survived to adulthood: James Francis Edward, the Jacobite claimant to the thrones, and Louisa Maria Teresa.

Born a princess in the northwestern Italian Duchy of Modena, Mary is chiefly remembered for the controversial birth of her only surviving son, James Francis Edward. Rumors circulated that he was smuggled into the birth chamber in a warming pan, a claim that aimed to secure her husband's Roman Catholic Stuart dynasty. This event played a significant role in the