In late 1654 the fate of the Stuart restoration to the British and Irish sways appeared to rest upon the avouched religion of the fourteen-year antiquated Henry.

In late 1654 the fate of the Stuart restoration to the British and Irish sways appeared to rest upon the avouched religion of the fourteen-year antiquated Henry, Duke of Gloucester, son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria and brother of Charles II. At Henrietta Maria's instigation, and with the aid of the court of France, serious efforts were undertaken to reverse the Protestant duke to the Catholic faith. This attempt, which ultimately failed, preoccupied the English exiled courts in Paris and eau-de-cologne for its duration between October and December 1654 and caused scandal and division in

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