MARIA BEATRICE d'ESTE, queen of ENGLAND. - Born in 1658, died at St-Germain-en-Laye in 1718. Daughter of Alfonso IV, Duke of Modena, she married in 1673 James, Duke of York, who later became James II. Raised rigorously in the Catholic faith, upon her arrival in England she had to resign herself to practicing her religion privately, for in that very year the Parliament had forced Charles II to promulgate the Test Act, which excluded Catholics from all public offices.
After James's accession to the throne, the sovereigns' Catholic policy did not initially provoke violent reactions, because the Protestants counted on the imminent succession to the throne of Princess Mary, who was married to William of Orange; but when on 10 June 1688 M. B. gave birth to a son, James, the Protestants provoked the intervention of the Prince of Orange. M. B. fled to France with the Prince of Wales, and this had fatal consequences for the King, who, instead of resisting the invasion with arms, followed his wife and, by deserting, secured an easy triumph for the Prince of Orange.