What year is Renegade Nell set in and who is the Queen of England?

Renegade Nell follows the journey of Nell Jackson, who turns to highway robbery to survive after being accused of a murder she didn’t commit. There is a huge plot to get rid of the queen, and we’re looking at which period of English history this series takes place in.

The series has a few terms that Outlander fans will recognize. One of the biggest is “Jacobite.” Sure enough, there are Jacobites in the country who want to take down the Queen of England. Their plan is to put a Catholic king on the throne.

There is some basis of real history in this fantasy series. Let’s take a look at what you need to know.

The year of Renegade Nell

The series takes place in 1705. This is two years after Queen Anne took the throne. While we say Queen Anne of England, she is now known as Queen Anne of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1707, England and Scotland formed Great Britain thanks to the Act of Union. Of course, this is two years after the series, so calling her Queen Anne of England makes sense.

She became Queen Anne of England, Scotland, and Ireland in 1702, after the death of her brother-in-law, William—he ruled with her sister Mary. As the second daughter of James II of England (VII of Scotland) and Anne Hyde, the crown passed to her when William and Mary did not have children of her own.

The Stuart dynasty did come to an end with Anne. My heart breaks for her as she suffered 16 miscarriages and stillbirths. This was how the crown ended up passing to a German monarch.

The Jacobite plot for a Catholic king

Throughout Renegade Nell, you’ll hear comments about the Jacobites being in England. In fact, one of the main characters turns out to be a Jacobite.

They wanted another monarch: James Stuart. He is known as King James III of England and VIII of Scotland to those who follow the Jacobite line. Many people will know his son, Bonnie Prince Charlie, better.

He was the son of James II and his second wife Mary of Modena. After Anne Hyde’s death, James became a Catholic and married a Catholic, leading to Catholic children. And he ended up taking the throne as a known Catholic. This was at a time when the Protestants and Catholics were still heavily divided, and the Catholics wanted their own monarch on the throne. Plus, as James was a male, they believed that he was the rightful heir. The only reason Mary was accepted was because she would rule jointly with her husband William of Orange.

So, there was a Jacobite plot to remove Queen Anne from the throne. There were two main rebellions, one in 1715 and one in 1745—Outlander fans will know all about the second one. Both of them failed, which should mean that any further attempts to remove Anne from the throne in Renegade Nell will end in failure. In fact, in history, Anne is the one who brings in a law that Catholics can't take the throne, which should come up in the series.

Renegade Nell is available to stream on Disney+.