Princess Isabel Of York

Isabel Stuart was born on 28 August 1676 at St James's Palace in London. She was the second daughter of James, who later became King James II of England, and his second wife, Mary of Modena. Her older sister, Catherine Laura, died eleven months before Isabel's birth. She had two older half-sisters from her father's first marriage to Anne Hyde, named Mary and Anne, both of whom later became Queens of England.

Her paternal grandparents were Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France. Her maternal grandparents were Alfonso IV d'Este and Laura Martinozzi.

Initially, Isabel was the only child of her parents during most of her life, holding the position of fourth in line to the throne, behind her father and her half-sisters Mary and Anne. In 1677, her brother Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge, was born but died of smallpox after one month, which temporarily restored Isabel to the fourth position in the line of succession. In 1678, another sister, Elizabeth, was born but also died shortly after.

A portrait of Isabel was painted by Sir Peter Lely during her lifetime. When she was two years old, the Popish Plot—a political crisis alleging a Catholic conspiracy to assassinate King Charles II—led to her family's exile to Brussels, where they stayed with her mother, Mary. During this period, reports circulated that King Charles II was gravely ill, prompting the family to return to England in fears of an imminent threat from James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth. Monmouth was supported by the Exclusionists, who sought to prevent James from inheriting the throne.

Following King Charles II’s survival, the family was sent to Edinburgh, where James and Mary experienced periods of residence at Holyrood Palace, while Isabel’s mother remained in London. In February 1680, the family was recalled to London, but later in the autumn, James and Mary returned to Edinburgh with James appointed as King's Commissioner to Scotland. This separation from her parents caused distress for Isabel’s mother.

Lady Isabel Stuart died of natural causes on 2 March 1681 at St James's Palace. She was aged four years and six months. Her remains were interred at Westminster Abbey on 4 March (Old Style), with her title recorded as "The Lady Isabella, daughter to the Duke of York." Her death deeply affected her mother, Mary, who reportedly fell into religious mania, causing concern among her physicians.

At the time of her death, her maternal grandmother, Laura Martinozzi, was falsely accused of offering £10,000 for the murder of King Charles II; this false accusation led to the execution of the pamphleteer responsible. Four years after Isabel’s death, her father ascended to the throne as King of England.