Concetti Chiave
- King James II's attempts to elevate the Catholic Church and give Catholics key positions raised concerns among Anglicans and Parliament.
- William of Orange was invited to intervene, leading to him and Mary being proclaimed joint monarchs in 1689.
- The Glorious Revolution is noted for its peaceful resolution, though it involved military actions against James II's supporters in Scotland and Ireland.
- The Battle of the Boyne in 1690 was a significant conflict, celebrated by Ulster unionists as a symbol of British rule in Ireland.
- The 1689 Bill of Rights established the principle that the monarchy ruled with the consent of Parliament, setting a precedent for constitutional governance.
The Glorious Revolution
When Charles II died in 1685, his brother became King James II. He soon tried to give the Catholic Church of Rome the same dignity as the Anglican Church. He also wanted to give Catholics important positions in the army, universities, and local government. This worried the Anglicans and Parliament, who invited William of Orange, who had married the king’s daughter Mary, to come over with an army.William’s statement that he would help Britain only if he shared the crown with Mary led to the proclamation of William and Mary as joint monarchs in 1689.
This event was called the Glorious Revolution because the different factions showed sense and moderation in reaching an agreement.
However, it must be remembered that William crushed James II’s supporters in Scotland, where most Highland clans were loyal to the Stuarts, and in Ireland, where Catholic royalists besieged the Protestants at Londonderry.William’s repression culminated in the bloody Battle of the Boyne (1690), which is still celebrated by Ulster unionists – the “Orangemen” – as a symbol of British rule in Ireland.
In 1689, the Bill of Rights clearly defined the relationship between monarchy and Parliament by stating that the king ruled not by “Divine Right” but by the consent of Parliament as the representative of the country, thus laying the foundation for the freedom from arbitrary government that the English are proud of.
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