What was the Glorious Revolution?

Taking place in 1688–89, the Glorious Revolution (a name first used by politician
John Hampden in 1689) saw James II, King of England, Scotland and Ireland,
deposed by his daughter, Mary, and her husband, the Dutch prince William of
Orange.

William of Orange was the last person to successfully invade England.

What led up to it?

The revolution had its roots in the deep-seated fear of Catholicism that permeated
all levels of Stuart England.

In 1685, Charles II had died without an heir, leaving the throne to his Catholic
brother, James, Duke of York. James II assured his anxious subjects that he
intended to honour the country’s existing religious situation, but he soon began to
lose support.

James gave Catholics in Britain freedom to worship openly, and, more worryingly,
proposed the removal of parliamentary acts that prohibited Catholics from holding
public office, known as the Test Acts. James appointed Catholic officers to the
army and a number of Catholic peers to his Privy Council. His next move was to
dissolve parliament and search for officials who would support Catholics in public
office. He wished to form a parliament that would bend to his will.

Why were people so scared of Catholicism?

To a deeply Protestant country, Catholicism was more than just fear and hatred of a
differentm way of worship; it was fear of a religion that could overthrow both
church and state, and the establishment of a ‘Catholic tyranny’ that would place
England under the control of a powerful Catholic monarch

How did the Dutch get involved?

The Glorious Revolution (1688–89) in England stemmed from religious and
political conflicts. King James II was Catholic. His religion, and his actions rooted
in it, put him at odds with the non-Catholic population and others. Many tolerated
him, thinking that the throne would eventually pass to his eldest child, Mary, who
was Protestant. This view changed with the birth of James’s son in June 1688, as
the king now had a Catholic heir. Alarmed, several prominent Englishmen invited
Mary’s husband, William of Orange, to invade England. He did so in November.
James soon fled England, and William and Mary were crowned joint rulers in
April 1689.

How did Britain react to the Dutch invasion?

As news of the Protestants’ arrival spread, anti-Catholic rioting broke out. James
was forced to leave London to confront William and his Dutch army. English
Protestants welcomed William and his men as they progressed through the West
Country towards London, and a number of James’s own side defected to the
Protestant cause, including his nephew, Lord Cornbury and his own daughter,
Princess Anne.

What was the outcome of the revolution?

After a bloody skirmish at Reading in December 1688, James realised his cause
was lost. Queen Mary and the Prince of Wales fled for France and the next day,
James himself attempted to flee, dropping the Great Seal in the Thames knowing
that no lawful parliament could be summoned without it. Unfortunately, he was
captured by fishermen near Sheerness.

After being presented with a document called the Declaration of Rights, which
affirmed the need for regular parliaments, William and Mary jointly accepted the
throne on 13 February 1689, removing any chance of a Catholic monarchy.

• Bill of Rights: The main consequence of the so-called English Revolution or

Glorious Revolution was that, under the Bill of Rights of 1689, England
became a constitutional monarchy, with the monarch’s powers limited by
law.
• On February 13, 1689, these rulers promulgated the Bill of Rights, a text
which severely limited the power of the King in favor of Parliament. This
was the happy ending of a Glorious Revolution without bloodshed.
• From then on, England became a Parliamentary monarchy in which:
- the King could not raise troops without Parliament's consent;
- members of Parliament were freely elected, could approve laws, and
 convened regularly to vote on laws;
- the protection and individual liberty of all citizens were guaranteed.
• Parliament, which established its seat at the heart of London in Westminster,
is composed of two houses, one elected, the other hereditary. The lower
house (the House of Commons) votes on laws and sanction the government;
the upper house (the House of Lords), inherited from England's aristocratic
past, functions as a moderating presence, controlling and modifying laws.
• These organizing principles have continued into the present in the United
Kingdom. The principal changes have concerned the procedure of electing
deputies to the House of Commons, today elected in a system with universal
suffrage
•

• In the Revolution, Parliament invited William of Orange to overthrow the

reigning King of England, James II. James was forced to flee, and William
became king with the backing of Parliament. This chain of events implied
that the monarch served at Parliament’s pleasure. The English Bill of Rights
confirmed Parliament’s control over many powers of government and
required the monarch to obtain parliamentary approval before levying taxes
or suspending laws, and it set out rights of English subjects—including a
right to freedom from seizure of property without due process—that the
monarch could not infringe.

• Ensuring the kiIn the Revolution, Parliament invited William of Orange to

overthrow the reigning King of England, James II. James was forced to
flee, and William became king with the backing of Parliament. This chain
of events implied that the monarch served at Parliament’s pleasure. The
English Bill of Rights confirmed Parliament’s control over many powers
of government and required the monarch to obtain parliamentary approval
before levying taxes or suspending laws, and it set out rights of English
subjects—including a right to freedom from seizure of property without
due process—that the monarch could not infringe.ng ruled through the
consent of a Parliament that was now enshrined in the constitution - Bill of
Rights (1689). This meant the monarch was now constitutional. This
 should be linked to the Act of Settlement (1701), when the line of
succession was broken and changed in favour of a Protestant heir. In the
Revolution, Parliament invited William of Orange to overthrow the
reigning King of England, James II. James was forced to flee, and William
became king with the backing of Parliament. This chain of events implied
that the monarch served at Parliament’s pleasure. The English Bill of
Rights confirmed Parliament’s control over many powers of government
and required the monarch to obtain parliamentary approval before levying
taxes or suspending laws, and it set out rights of English subjects—
including a right to freedom from seizure of property without due
process—that the monarch could not infringe.
• Quite quickly, because William was away fighting so much Parliament
was run by a de facto Cabinet. Over the next couple of decades this led
Parliament to supplant the power of the monarch and it became sovereign.
• Act of Toleration (1689), that provided religious toleration for a number of
groups but not Catholics.
• Freedom of the Press. The law restricting the press (the Licensing Act)
was not renewed in 1695 and this allowed the press to scrutinise and
discuss all political and economic issues.
• Financial Revolution (1694 onwards). Which led to the creation of the
Bank of England, a National Debt and other innovations - largely stolen
and adapted from the Dutch - which financed war and allowed Britain to
enhance its commercial development and colonial activity.
• Act of Union (1707) between England and Scotland was a result of the
Revolution and economic and insecurity caused by wars with the French.
• The eventual defeat of the French after the Nine Years' War (1689–97)
and War of the Spanish Succession (1702–14) saw Britain become a major
European player in the Balance of Power. Alongside the commercial
innovations this led to it becoming the world's leading power.
• Internal tensions between the English and the Scots (Massacre at Glencoe)
and the Irish (various battles and sieges). Numerous tensions continue to
this day, especially in Northern Ireland.
• Adapting many Dutch innovations and then weakening the Dutch as a
rival power, before later taking many of their overseas colonies.
The Glorious Revolution is therefore hugely important for Britian and the world.
And is also crucial for providing numerous political, economic and other theories
that shaped the modern world and acted as a catalyst for the American Revolution.
While the Whigs were those who supported the exclusion of James, the Duke
of York from the succession to thrones of Scotland and England and Ireland
(the Petitioners), theTories were those who opposed the Exclusion Bill (the
Abhorrers).