Glorious Revolution

The term Glorious Revolution refers to the generally popular overthrow of James II of England in 1688. The event is sometimes referred to as the "Bloodless Revolution", but this name is not accurate; some modern historians prefer the more neutral "Revolution of 1688".

History

During his three-year reign, King James II fell victim to the political battles in the British Isles between Catholicism and Protestantism on the one hand, and on the other, between the divine right of the Crown and the political rights of Parliament. James's greatest political problem was his Catholicism, which left him alienated from both parties in Parliament. Any attempts at reform by James were thus viewed with great suspicion. James also pursued a number of untenable policies, such as a desire for a standing army and a pursuit of religious toleration.

Related Topics:
British Isles - Catholicism - Protestantism - Divine right - Parliament - Religious toleration

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While his brother and predecessor, Charles II, had done the same, he had not been an overt Catholic like James. Matters came to a head in 1688 when James fathered a son; until then, the throne would have passed to his Protestant daughter, Mary. The prospect of a Catholic dynasty in Britain was now likely. Some leaders of the hitherto loyal Tory Party united with members of the opposition Whigs and set out to solve the crisis.

Related Topics:
Charles II - 1688 - A son - Mary - Britain - Tory Party - Whigs

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A conspiracy (see the Immortal Seven) was launched to depose James and replace him with his daughter Mary and her husband, William of Orange — both Protestants. William was stadtholder of the Netherlands, then in the early stages of a war with the French: the War of the Grand Alliance. Jumping at the chance to add England to his alliance, William and Mary laid careful plans over a number of months for an invasion. Landing with a large Dutch army at Brixham, Devon on November 5, 1688, William was greeted with much popular support, and local men joined his army. Meanwhile, in the North, many nobles also declared for William. James's forward forces gathered at Salisbury, and James went to join them on November 19. It rapidly became apparent that the troops were not eager to fight, and the loyalties of many of James's commanders were doubtful. A skirmish at Wincanton, Somerset, around this time saw the first bloodshed, with Royalist troops defeating a small party of scouts and then retreating; the total body count from both sides was approximately 15. In Salisbury a worried James was afflicted by a sudden serious nose bleed, which he took as an evil omen that led him to decide to order a general retreat of his army. On November 23, John Baron Churchill, one of James's chief commanders, deserted to William. A few days later, James's own daughter, Princess Anne, did the same. Both were serious losses. James returned to London on November 26. By December 4, William's forces were at Salisbury; by December 7th they had reached Hungerford, where they met with the King's Commissioners to negotiate. In reality, by that point James was simply playing for time as he already had decided to flee abroad. Convinced that his army was unreliable, he sent orders to disband it. December 10th saw the second engagement between the two sides with The Reading Fight, a defeat for the King's men.

Related Topics:
Immortal Seven - William of Orange - Stadtholder - Netherlands - War of the Grand Alliance - England - Brixham - Devon - November 5 - 1688 - Salisbury - November 19 - Wincanton - Somerset - Omen - November 23 - John Baron Churchill - Anne - November 26 - December 4 - December 7th - Hungerford - December 10th - The Reading Fight

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December 11th saw James attempt to escape, dropping The Great Seal in the Thames along the way. However, he was captured by fishermen near Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey. The same night witnessed mass panic in London in what was later termed Irish night. Rumours of an impending Irish army attack on London gripped the capital, and mobs rioted and looted the houses of Catholics and several foreign embassies.

Related Topics:
December 11th - The Great Seal - Thames - Sheerness - Isle of Sheppey - London - Irish night

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Upon returning to London a few days later, James was welcomed by cheering crowds. He took heart at this, and attempted to recommence government, even presiding over a meeting of the privy council. Then he received a request from William to remove himself from London. James went under Dutch guard to Rochester in Kent on December 18, just as William entered London. James then escaped to France on December 23. The lax guard on James and the decision to allow him so near the coast indicates that William might have hoped that a successful escape would avoid the difficulty of deciding what to do with him, especially with the memory of the execution of Charles I still strong. By fleeing, James helped ensure that William's grip was secure.

Related Topics:
Rochester - Kent - December 18 - France - December 23 - Charles I

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In 1689, the Convention Parliament convened and declared that James's flight amounted to abdication. William and Mary were offered the throne as joint rulers, an arrangement which they accepted. On February 13, 1689, Mary II and William III jointly acceded to the throne of England. Although their succession to the English throne was relatively peaceful, an uprising occurred in support of James in Scotland, the first Jacobite rebellion, and in Ireland, where James used local Catholic feeling to try to regain the throne in the Williamite war in Ireland from 1689–1691. The events of 1688 and their aftermath can thus be seen as much more of a coup d'état than an authentic revolution. England stayed calm throughout, the uprising in the Scottish Highlands was quelled despite the Jacobite victory at the Battle of Killiecrankie, and James fled Ireland following the Battle of the Boyne.

Related Topics:
1689 - Convention Parliament - Abdication - February 13 - Jacobite - Williamite war in Ireland - 1691 - Coup d'état - Scottish Highlands - Battle of Killiecrankie - Battle of the Boyne

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