Chapter 21: The Glorious Revolution

• Who did James II alienate during his short reign?

  Most of the clergy and the Tories, among others
• The Glorious Revolution?

  The replacement of the Catholic James II with the Dutch William and Mary
• The 1688 Declaration of Indulgence?

  James wanted to use this act to establish freedom of religion. James' force of the act alarmed 7 bishops, including William Sancroft, who became martyrs when James imprisoned them in the Tower
• Judgement on the legality of suspending power?

  Despite James' attempt to silence dissension, the jury found Sancroft and the other bishops not guilty. This meant that the king's suspending powers were illegal
• Trigger for the heightened backlash against James in June 1688?

  His wife, Mary of Modena, gave birth to a son, which confirmed a Catholic line of succession
• How could an invasion of England help the Dutch?

  An alliance between England and the Dutch could help trap France and prevent Louis' influence from spreading through Europe
• How did William of Orange gather intel on James before the invasion?

  He sent an emissary, Zuylestein, to congratulate James on the birth of his child, when his real goal was to meet opposition figures
• The Dutch Republic?

  A collection of 7 Dutch provinces, of which Holland was the richest. They had a decentralised government
• The Immortal Seven?

  5 Whigs and 2 Tories, including Danby and Shrewsbury, who invited William to invade England, assuring him that the people were discontent with James. The Seven wanted to secure a free Parliament
• William's arrival in England?

  He landed in England on the 29th September 1688, and a day later issued a proclamation claiming that he wished to remodel the Privy Council to support the Dutch against the French
• How many troops and ships did William III arrive in England with?

  463 ships and 15,000 men
• How did James initially try to stop the Glorious Revolution?

  He sought to compromise with the Archbishop Sancroft in October 1688, but it was too late
• Which areas were the first to come under William III's control?

  Exeter, Cheshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire
• Advantages for James II during the Glorious Revolution?

  He controlled London, had access to a standing army, and there was a reluctance to actively remove the king. However, James' lack of action sealed his fate
• James II's actions in December 1688?

  He sent his wife and son to France on the 9th, he dropped the royal seal in the Thames on the 11th, and fled to France himself on the 23rd
• What was the political composition of William's irregular assembly from late 1688?

  Mostly Whigs, as they were more receptive to William's invasion
• Events of 24th and 26th December 1688?

  The Assembly of Peers and the irregular assembly formally invited William to accept the Crown
• A regent?

  A person running the state when the official ruler is ill or unavailable
• The Convention Parliament?

  First sat in January 1689. It was composed of 319 Whigs and 232 Tories. This Parliament was tasked with introducing new laws and justifying the removal of James
• Whig attitude to James' absence?

  They argued that he had broken the fundamental laws of the constitution, and thus had forfeited the throne
• Tory attitude to James' absence?

  They argued that James was only incapacitated, and that William and Mary were acting as regents
• De facto monarch?

  A monarch who, in reality, holds power, whether they are supposed to or not
• What restrictions did the Lords place on William's kingship in February 1690?

  His wife would share the royal title, but not the power, and Anne was permanently secured as the next in line to the throne
• The Declaration of Rights?

  A 1690 parliamentary document that forbade Catholics from inheriting the throne. This wasn't used as justification for the removal of James, which appeased Tories
• Events of the 13th February 1689?

  The Declaration of Rights was read to William and Mary
• William and Mary's coronation oath?

  Different to the regular coronation oath. It placed emphasis on the monarch ruling in conjunction with Parliament
• Mutiny Act of March 1689?

  A standing army could not be created without Parliament's consent
• Toleration Act of May 1689?

  Dissenters were exempt from penal laws if they took an oath of allegiance
• Bill of Rights?

  Passed in January 1690. It stated that no Catholic could inherit the throne or marry a monarch, no monarch could have a standing army and suspending powers and non-parliamentary taxation were deemed illegal
• Why was the Bill of Rights limited?

  It was not a fixed contract, and thus could be replaced. However, it still showed how monarchs were now beneath the rule of law
• How much money for granted to the monarchy annually from 1690?

  £1.2 million. Half was to be spent on government, and the other half for war. The Crown immediately went into debt
• Why was William able to fight Louis XIV on the continent?


  The 1693 Million Loan Act and the 1694 establishment of the Bank of England granted William more money, but only when Parliament wished
• How was the Glorious Revolution in Scotland more radical than in England?

  As Jacobites refused to attend and Tories were nonexistent, the Scottish elite declared that James had forfeited the throne, which established a contractual theory of kingship in Scotland. William also agreed to abolish episcopacy in Scotland
• When did William and Mary accept the Scottish throne?

  11th May 1689
• How did William secure support from Scottish Presbyterians?

  He repealed royal supremacy over the Church in Scotland and established a Presbyterian Church government
• How was Presbyterian power consolidated in post-revolution Scotland?

  600 ministers were purged from the Scottish Church, and any pro-Stuart group lost influence
• Why was Ireland problematic for William?

  It was a centre for Jacobite resistance, as the Catholic Earl of Tyrconnell controlled the entire island apart from Ulster
• Battle of the Boyne?

  July 1690. William defeated James' 3000 French troops, and he fled to France where he died. William proceeded to impose Protestant control on Ireland
• English reaction to the Glorious Revolution?

  Mostly conservative, but had significant long-term consequences
• Irish reaction to the Glorious Revolution?

  An attempted Catholic revolution and subsequent counter-revolution by William