While going through photos from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, I came across an image I’d taken without much thought at the time — a marble bust of a noblewoman, striking but unfamiliar. I hadn’t stopped to read the plaque, as I often don’t when travelling, preferring to take photos and look things up later. This time, Google Lens revealed the subject to be Mary II Stuart the Protestant Queen of England — a figure I realised I’d already written about in the context of Scottish history. Seeing her again, now through the work of a Flemish sculptor displayed in the Netherlands, made me revisit her story and the political landscape that tied together England, Scotland, and the Dutch Republic in the 17th century.

Mary II Stuart, the Protestant Queen of England | Marie II Stuart, la reine protestante d’Angleterre | 玛丽二世·斯图亚特，英格兰的新教女王

Sometimes, when you travel to different countries and visit museums, you come across works by local artists that depict people or events significant to that country’s history. You might realise you’ve seen the same figure or story before — just in a different context. I had exactly that kind of déjà vu while going through photos of artworks I’d taken at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. While walking through the museum, I didn’t have time to read every plaque. The artworks were so captivating that I simply photographed whatever caught my eye. One of those images turned out to be a bust of a noblewoman.

After returning home, I used Google Lens to identify the creator of the bust and the person it portrayed. I learned that the artist was Jan Michiel Rysbrack, and the bust depicted Mary II Stuart, Queen of England. That discovery piqued my curiosity, so I went online to find out more. To my surprise, I realised I had already written about her a few years ago — in a post on the history of … Scotland.

The sculptor, a renowned Flemish artist, made significant contributions to British art in the 18th century. Born in 1694 in Antwerp – now part of Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium – he moved to London in 1720. Back in 1700, Antwerp was still part of the Spanish Netherlands, a region in the southern Low Countries that remained under Spanish control from the 16th century until the early 18th century. Because of my work, I’ve often travelled to Belgium, and my recent trip to the neighbouring Netherlands might be the perfect occasion to write a post on the fascinating history of this region sometime soon.

For now, however, I’ll turn my attention to Mary Stuart, and explore why a Queen of England from a Scottish dynasty is featured so prominently in one of the main galleries of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Mary II Stuart, Queen of England, a bust by Jan Michiel Rysbrackon on display in Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

Mary II Stuart, the Protestant Queen of England | Marie II Stuart, la reine protestante d’Angleterre | 玛丽二世·斯图亚特，英格兰的新教女王

Mary II Stuart was born in 1662 at St. James’s Palace in London. She was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York (later James II of England) and his first wife, Anne Hyde. Mary belonged to the Scottish Stuart dynasty, which had ruled England since the early 17th century. Although her father was a Catholic, Mary was raised as a Protestant – a decision that would prove crucial later in her life. Her uncle, Charles II, who was king at the time of her birth, was publicly Protestant, though he is believed to have converted to Catholicism on his deathbed. During his reign, it was politically expedient to maintain a Protestant public image in order to secure Parliament’s support and preserve stability. As for James, Mary’s father, the exact date of his conversion remains uncertain, but it is thought he became Catholic in the late 1660s. He kept his faith private for several years to avoid political repercussions, but by 1673, his conversion was publicly known. Nonetheless, keeping Mary’s Protestant upbringing was seen as vital to reassure Parliament and the English public that the Protestant succession would continue.

At the age of 15, in 1677, Mary married her first cousin, William of Orange – a Protestant and the son of William II, Prince of Orange, and Mary, Princess Royal of England, who was the daughter of Charles I of England. The marriage was part of a wider political effort to secure Protestant alliances for the British throne. At the time, Charles II, King of England and Mary’s uncle, was in poor health and – at least officially – remained Protestant.

William III of Orange was not King of the Netherlands in the modern sense of the term. Instead, he held the title of Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic from 1672. The Dutch Republic was a confederation of provinces in what is now the Netherlands, and the role of Stadtholder was neither hereditary nor equivalent to a monarchy. It was an appointed position, granted by the provinces, and primarily served as a military commander and political leader, rather than a sovereign ruler.

The Dutch Republic, officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, was established in the northern part of the Low Countries in 1648, after gaining independence from Spain. Southern provinces such as Flanders, Brabant, and Hainaut remained under Spanish Catholic rule, a territory known as the Spanish Netherlands.

The key figures in this story are James II, father of Mary, Mary II Stuart, whose statue appears in the photo above, and her husband, William of Orange

Mary’s father, James II, ascended to the English throne in 1685, but his Catholic faith and increasingly autocratic rule led to growing discontent across the kingdom. William’s marriage to Mary placed him in a strong position to challenge his father-in-law. In 1688, William III of Orange invaded England in what became known as the Glorious Revolution. James II fled to France, and William and Mary were jointly offered the throne by the English Parliament. Mary II reigned alongside William III until her death in 1694, and she was buried in Westminster Abbey. William continued to rule alone until his own death in 1702.

In the years that followed, the Jacobites — supporters of the deposed Stuart king James II and his descendants — sought to restore the Stuart monarchy to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland, but ultimately failed in their efforts. Great Britain remained Protestant, and the Hanoverian dynasty eventually solidified its rule. The name Jacobite comes from Jacobus, the Latin form of James.