“Reign & Rebellion” Special Exhibition

Discover Virginia through the lens of the Stuart monarchy, whose royal foothold impacted and influenced early America and shaped the struggles and determination of those who lived in the colony in the 17th and 18th centuries.

This upcoming special exhibition will span the centuries at both museums and make connections between the past and our present, to illuminate how the Stuarts — and their legacies in Virginia — are closer than you think.

“Reign & Rebellion” will intertwine groundbreaking moments in Virginia’s history, provocative personal stories and showstopper artifacts that lay the path of Virginia’s road to Revolution. With approach of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the exploration of the Stuart dynasty has never been more relevant.

At Jamestown Settlement, the exhibition will consider how the reign of the Stuarts in the 17th century solidified Virginia’s identity as the Old Dominion, which had lasting impacts not only for the 18th century but for the world we live in today.

At the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, the exhibition will explore how the legacies of the Stuart era contributed toward Virginia’s distinct American identity, resulting in formerly loyal Cavaliers fighting for independence from Great Britain.