Introduction to Commemorative Medals in England 1685-1746

The year 1685 saw the beginning of a turbulent period in English history: King James II was expelled from Britain; there were wars in Ireland and on the Continent; repeated attempts by the Jacobite party in exile to regain the throne of England; and, underlying everything, severe religious dissension between Catholics and Protestants. All these events were eminently suitable for medallic commemoration.