STUART, HOUSE OF

or house of Stewart or Steuart

Royal house of Scotland (1371–1714) and of England (1603–49, 1660–1714).

The earliest members of the family were stewards in 11th-century Brittany; in the 12th century a member entered the service of David I (r. 1124–53) in Scotland and received the title of steward. The 6th steward married the daughter of King Robert I the Bruce, and in 1371 their son became King Robert II , the first Stewart king of Scotland (r. 1371–90). His descendants in the 15th–17th centuries included the Scottish monarchs James I , James II , James III , James IV , Mary, Queen of Scots , and James VI (who inherited the English throne as James I ). The Stuarts (who eventually adopted the French-influenced spelling of their name) were excluded from the English throne after Charles I until the restoration of Charles II in 1660. He was followed by James II , William III and Mary II , and Anne . The Stuart royal line ended in 1714, and the British crown passed to the house of Hanover , despite later claims by James II's son James Edward (the Old Pretender) and grandson Charles Edward (the Young Pretender).