- Born:
- March 6, 1725, Rome
- Died:
- July 13, 1807, Frascati, Italy (aged 82)
- Political Affiliation:
- Jacobite
- House / Dynasty:
- House of Stuart
- Notable Family Members:
- father James Edward, the Old Pretender
- brother Charles Edward, the Young Pretender
Henry Stuart, cardinal duke of York
Henry Stuart, cardinal duke of York (born March 6, 1725, Romeādied July 13, 1807, Frascati, Italy) was the last legitimate descendant of the deposed (1688) Stuart monarch James II of Great Britain. To the Jacobitesāsupporters of Stuart claims to the British throneāhe was known as King Henry IX of Great Britain for the last 19 years of his life.
Shortly after his birth, Stuart was named duke of York by his father, the exiled Stuart claimant James Edward, the Old Pretender, son of James II. Stuart raised forces in France to help his elder brother, Charles Edward, the Young Pretender, during the unsuccessful Forty-five Rebellion (Jacobite rebellion of 1745ā46), but the uprising was crushed before Stuartās troops could be deployed. In 1747 the pious, mild-mannered duke was created cardinal of York by Pope Benedict XIV. He was consecrated archbishop of Corinth in 1758 and was later (1761ā1803) bishop of Frascati, in Italy.
Upon the death of the Young Pretender in 1788, Stuart proclaimed himself king as Henry IX. He lost his property during the Napoleonic invasion of Italy, and after 1800 he survived on a yearly pension granted him by King George III of England.
