William III adopts James the Old Pretender as his heir

I see it the other way: James has to kowtow to English interests. bowing to the French is the quickest way an early grave. The Stuarts owe English/William for the crown - they installed him, not Louis.

At the point of ascension/POD, the Bourbons are attempting to gain overwhelming world hegemony, to the detriment to England. Louis has been extremely bellicose, acting under the assumption that war was inevitable, thus creating a self fulfilling prophecy. James, the Catholic boy king seen as French influenced foreign raised, is going to acquiesce? that'll go over like flatulence in church. As you/VVD said, it'll be mostly advisers doing the ruling. They're going to advise staying in power. The foreign army is far away, fighting continental armies. there is some slim room for compromise, but the French have to compromise, too. OTL, France opted to go for it all, and were well on their way when James II died/POD begins. France has to reverse course, step away from the brink of war, and make a significant concession. they aren't going to do that when they think they have a novice boy king in their hip pocket. France will forge full steam ahead, which England cannot accept, no matter what James wants. IF James III being invited to England as English recognized heir causes both sides to bend, war (France/England) can be averted, but the POD is too 11th hour to make that realistic. Realistically, war can only be averted if England implodes in civil war. OTL, we've seen how much action Louis puts behind his support of the Stuarts, which is not much at all. There'll be a nice castle waiting for you James, if you get out alive. In the meanwhile, excuse us as we take over Spain and the continent.
Keep Carlos II alive another year or two, so that James III is in the line of succession when the crisis hits. Now you're introducing yet another POD, and there's too many already.

So, English involvement in the war is inevitable then, in your view? Also, when James does come of age, would his advisors willingly hand over power or would there be a struggle there?
 
As long as Louis/France is so bellicose about putting Spain in the French orbit, excluding England and others economically/otherwise, war is likely.

Power is rarely given up willingly. 'struggle' can take on a lot of different forms/intensity, but there is almost always struggle.
 
As long as Louis/France is so bellicose about putting Spain in the French orbit, excluding England and others economically/otherwise, war is likely.

Power is rarely given up willingly. 'struggle' can take on a lot of different forms/intensity, but there is almost always struggle.

Hmm interesting, so, that could potentially mean that if Anne is alive, that some might flock to her, if she's dead, then James might need the help of Marlborough/ Ormonde, to ensure that the army remains loyal to him when he takes power.
 
James II repeatedly ignored the Test Act (an oath that required the taker to disavow several Roman Catholic Tenets), both himself and requiring of others who were bound to take it to assume positions within the government. This was but one of the things that made him less than popular and led to the Glorious Revolution. The witnesses to the pretender's birth were mostly RC and/or foreign, most of England believes the kid is the son of some maid at the castle (or whomever, they don't believe the child is really James II's kid); only the RCs are going to be excited by William adopting an alleged bastard to rule England after his and Mary's deaths - Anne ain't going to support it. Neither will Protestant nobility or the clergy. They're going to claim that 1) it's not a King's child OR 2) the kid died and they've replaced him with a French bastard to put a heretic Roman Catholic on England's throne.

I think William made the offer knowing it would be refused. Then he can say "I tried" to the RCs living within England. In order to make a valid situation, you'd have to let James and Mary flee, but the kid gets left behind. Once the child leaves English soil, he's in the same position as his father.
 
James II repeatedly ignored the Test Act (an oath that required the taker to disavow several Roman Catholic Tenets), both himself and requiring of others who were bound to take it to assume positions within the government. This was but one of the things that made him less than popular and led to the Glorious Revolution. The witnesses to the pretender's birth were mostly RC and/or foreign, most of England believes the kid is the son of some maid at the castle (or whomever, they don't believe the child is really James II's kid); only the RCs are going to be excited by William adopting an alleged bastard to rule England after his and Mary's deaths - Anne ain't going to support it. Neither will Protestant nobility or the clergy. They're going to claim that 1) it's not a King's child OR 2) the kid died and they've replaced him with a French bastard to put a heretic Roman Catholic on England's throne.

I think William made the offer knowing it would be refused. Then he can say "I tried" to the RCs living within England. In order to make a valid situation, you'd have to let James and Mary flee, but the kid gets left behind. Once the child leaves English soil, he's in the same position as his father.
So essentially have William decide to raise the kid from the get to as his heir?
 
James II repeatedly ignored the Test Act (an oath that required the taker to disavow several Roman Catholic Tenets), both himself and requiring of others who were bound to take it to assume positions within the government. This was but one of the things that made him less than popular and led to the Glorious Revolution. The witnesses to the pretender's birth were mostly RC and/or foreign, most of England believes the kid is the son of some maid at the castle (or whomever, they don't believe the child is really James II's kid); only the RCs are going to be excited by William adopting an alleged bastard to rule England after his and Mary's deaths - Anne ain't going to support it. Neither will Protestant nobility or the clergy. They're going to claim that 1) it's not a King's child OR 2) the kid died and they've replaced him with a French bastard to put a heretic Roman Catholic on England's throne.

I think William made the offer knowing it would be refused. Then he can say "I tried" to the RCs living within England. In order to make a valid situation, you'd have to let James and Mary flee, but the kid gets left behind. Once the child leaves English soil, he's in the same position as his father.
So essentially have William decide to raise the kid from the get to as his heir?
Well at that point the boy would be James III and William and Mary his tutors and regents after removing the bad and mad catholic James II while James III will grown up as a good Anglican
 
Well at that point the boy would be James III and William and Mary his tutors and regents after removing the bad and mad catholic James II while James III will grown up as a good Anglican
Would William and Mary remain in England then? And would there still be a bill of rights?
 
Would William and Mary remain in England then? And would there still be a bill of rights?
At least Mary would stay as regent and William will likely divide his time between England and Netherlands as I can not think to Anne as regent for young James III... Something like the OTL bill of rights is almost sure at least in the part against James and likely everything else but excluding Catholics from the succession and the limitation on the king’s powers about laws, taxes, and army and maybe also the rights of Protestants to be armed
 
At least Mary would stay as regent and William will likely divide his time between England and Netherlands as I can not think to Anne as regent for young James III... Something like the OTL bill of rights is almost sure at least in the part against James and likely everything else but excluding Catholics from the succession and the limitation on the king’s powers about laws, taxes, and army and maybe also the rights of Protestants to be armed

Hmm interesting, so some of the clauses are definitely going to be excluded then. How would James come into William and Mary's possession? His ship is captured perhaps?
 
I don't think William is going to come over to England so his wife can be regent for the next King. If William's not going to be king, there's no reason for him to come over. And Mary loved her husband (that's how he got the Kingship), so she's not going to be thrilled with him being "over there" while she's "here". Honestly, I don't think there is any way to make this scenario work. Once the father is removed, it would take a fight to get the son (who will be branded an imposter by opponents) back on the throne. The entire plan was done with the idea of getting rid of the RCs on the throne. In order to get this kid on the throne, you'll have to figure out how to make his father not such an idiot that he violates his oath (as Head of CoE) and keeps his throne. (Like, enforce the Test Act....)
 
I don't think William is going to come over to England so his wife can be regent for the next King. If William's not going to be king, there's no reason for him to come over. And Mary loved her husband (that's how he got the Kingship), so she's not going to be thrilled with him being "over there" while she's "here". Honestly, I don't think there is any way to make this scenario work. Once the father is removed, it would take a fight to get the son (who will be branded an imposter by opponents) back on the throne. The entire plan was done with the idea of getting rid of the RCs on the throne. In order to get this kid on the throne, you'll have to figure out how to make his father not such an idiot that he violates his oath (as Head of CoE) and keeps his throne. (Like, enforce the Test Act....)
Hmm true, or one could have James II die when the kid is a babe/ have James come out victorious in the glorious revolution- a simple ship sinking could see to William-
 
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