Jacobitism

Jacobitism was a political movement in late 17th and early 18th century Great Britain. After the Glorious Revolution where William and Mary became monarchs and James II went into exile, Jacobites continued to support the house of Stuart. They liked Queen Anne, who was the last Stuart monarch.

It was popular in Scotland and Ireland and often supported by France as a way to destabilize Great Britain.

Related to the religious wars in that Jacobites were more sympathetic towards Catholics whereas William and Mary were Protestants. The name Jacobus is a Latin variant of James.

In the early 18th century some persecuted Jacobites fled England to start new lives in the Caribbean in places like Jamaica and Barbados. Some of these also engaged in piracy.

Jacobitism influenced early American political thought particularly in South Carolina where many of the founders had come from Barbados.