‘A Few Words among Many, about the Touchy Point of Succession’:¹ The Duke of York and the Exclusion Crisis

This chapter focuses on the Duke of York and the crisis over the succession, which was precipitated in part by Oates' allegations. It sets concerns over a potential Catholic successor in several contexts, such as analysing the rhetoric of debate both in Parliament and on the printed page, and placing the succession issue in context of the Duke's periods of exile between 1679 and 1682.

This chapter focuses on the Duke of York and the crisis over the succession, which was precipitated in part by Oates' allegations. It sets concerns over a potential Catholic successor in several contexts, such as analysing the rhetoric of debate both in Parliament and on the printed page, and placing the succession issue in context of the Duke's periods of exile between 1679 and 1682.