Chapter 25: The condition of Britain and monarchy by 1702

• What did the 1701 Act of Settlement establish?

  • 57 Catholic heirs were excluded from the throne
  • Monarch had to be an active communicant of the Church of England —> designed to prevent Catholics from taking the throne
• What else was significant about the Act of Settlement?


  included several limits on the Crown in order to remove potential sources of instability caused by a non-English monarch with interests in Europe
• What limits did the Act of Settlement include on the Crown?

  • non-English monarchs had to have the consent of Parliament to declare war in defence of any territories not belonging to England
  • no monarch was allowed to leave England without the permission of Parliament
  • all government was to be transacted in the Privy Council; done to prevent use of secret advisers
  • Crown’s pardon could not prevent parliamentary impeachment proceedings
  • no government office holder or anyone receiving a pension from the Crown could be an MP
  • Parliament, not the Crown, could remove judges
• How did the Act of Settlement place more influence in the hands of Parliament?


  showed William that he needed to appoint ministers, including Tories, who would be able to manage Parliament for him
• Relations between England and Scotland by 1702?

  the countries were moving closer to a union
• When was a formal union between England and Scotland completed?

  1707
• How was the army and navy changed since 1688-1702?

  • Increasingly expanding army and navy
  • 10,000 troops in the army in 1689 vs 93,000 in 1702
  • More than 40,000 in the navy
• How was the balance between Crown and state changed since 1688-1702?

  • power of state grew —> development of state administration
  • crown finances were transformed, thereby also changing state finances
• How were religious issues changed since 1688-1702?

  • Church of England was broader in practice
  • Further decrease in the influence of the Catholics
  • Less religious persecution of dissent —> William was unwilling to enforce such legislation in the first place
• How was Ireland changed since 1688-1702?


  experienced a more systematic process of Protestantisation than ever before
• How was Scotland changed since 1688-1702?

  • Scotland experienced economic hardship
  • Conflict flared between the Crown and Jacobites based in the Highlands.
• The key factor underpinning the significant changes of William’s rule was his sustained involvement in the European war
• 1702: Civil Service had come in to manage the war effort
• What did Parliament introduce with the help of civil servants?

  a land tax in 1693 that raised £46 million
• What other tax was introduced as a way for Parliament to raise funds for war?

  a window tax
• How much did the source of Crown finances change?

  70% parliamentary taxation based 1626-1640 vs 3% parliamentary taxation based 1689-1714
• What did the Glorious Revolution mean for the Church of England?

  • the Anglican clergymen who had dominated since 1660 lost their influence
  • Latitudinarians dominated the Church by 1702
  • religious toleration became more widespread
  • high Anglicans remained influential among the average clergymen and gentry
• What did the latitudinarians believe?


  a church that appealed to non-conformists could combat the threat the Anglicans posed
• By 1702 there was a realisation that religious toleration, even if informal, was better for political stability
• Focus of religious persecution in 1702

  Catholics
• What did the Glorious Revolution and Act of Settlement indicate?

  there was a continued fear of Catholicism
• Why were the Catholics still regarded as a threat?

  • they had a majority position in Ireland
  • Catholic French monarchy was very powerful and threatened the nation; France was still England’s principal rival for world power during the 18th century