The Glorious Revolution

1688

The Glorious Revolution took place in 1688.It resulted in the deposition of James II and the accession of William III and Mary II tothe English throne.

When Charles II died without any legitimate children in 1685, the Duke of

York became King as James II in England and Ireland.

Charles II

James II

James II had made clear that he wanted Roman Catholicism reinstalled as the country’s religion.King James II would not let people vote or practice the religion of their choice.

James II

James II wanted to reduce the power of Parliament.The people in the Parliament were Protestant.They wanted to stop the King.

The Parliament

James had a son, and that meant another Catholic King would follow after him. Consequently, a group of powerful noblemen led by the Earl of Shaftesbury decided it was time to get rid of James II

The plan was to invite William of Orange and his wife Mary, who was James eldest daughter, over to England. They were Protestants, so

the Parliament could make a deal with them.

Mary II

William III

James II fled to France, and the Parliament made William and Mary sign the Bill of Rights, which was an agreement between Parliament and the new King and Queen about how the country should be run.

Parliament were able to gain enormous power and William and Mary were

able to become King and Queen.Parliament was sovereign

and England prosperous. It was a victory of Whig principles and Tory pragmatism.

Those who would not swear allegiance to the new monarch were called Jacobites. They were most numerous among the Roman Catholics in the Scottish Highlands and in Ireland.