Glorious revolution
James II:
Reissued the Declaration of indulgence in 1688 – toleration to all religious
groups, both protestant and catholic
Started to rule like the Catholic absolute monarch Louis XIV
Whigs believed he had broken a solemn contract with the people
Some moderates believed that government existed because of an agreement
between the king and the people
Locke and the Whigs believed that if a ruler attempted to act like an absolute
monarch, citizens had the right to remove them.
James II openly defied both parliament and the religious establishment,
prompting actions that would become revolutionary
William of Orange
A convention parliament was elected meeting 22 January 1689
Radical Whigs wanted to declare William king immediately, but many others
favoured a role for his wife Mary, by hereditary right
Crown was offered to them both with the Declaration of Rights being read out at
their coronation
At the end of 1689, the Declaration was modified as the Bill of Rights:
- Clauses referred to specific abuses of the royal prerogative under Charles II and
James II
- Important clause calling for regular and free elections – MPs resented attempts
by the Crown to intimidate and tamper with elections
- Made certain the legal position of the army – a force could not be raised or kept
in time of peace without the consent of parliament
Limitations of the Bill of Rights:
- It was vague; absolutism could still creep in
- Made no provision for ensuring that elections were regular or free – no
definition of ‘free’
- However, this vagueness was partially removed by the Triennial Act of 1694
- Could be revoked by any future parliament
- The monarch was still free to decide on issues surrounding war, peace and
foreign policy
- William was still able to choose his own advisers
Mutiny Acts passed from 1689 ensuring the king could not court martial at will
without the consent of parliament – each act was only valid for a year which forced
the king to have to turn to parliament regularly for approval. Benefitted Crown and
Parliament – William was able to freely punish those who had mutinied (those who
refuse to fight on the king’s behalf due to other loyalties e.g. to James II) and
parliament was able to place limits on the royal prerogative if it wished
William’s advisers – he used his prerogative powers to form a Privy Council of his
own choosing; he chose Lord Halifax as Lord Privy Seal as he had led the House of
, Lords in their discussions about the political settlement during the Convention
Parliament and he was not loyal to either the Whigs or Tories. Earl of Danby was
appointed Lord President of the Council. A careful balance of Whigs and Tories were
appointed to other posts
1688 – Declaration of Indulgence reissued:
- toleration to all religious groups, both protestant and catholic
- friction created by James allowing Catholics and those of non-Christian faiths
freedom of religion
1688 – Invitation to William of Orange; James II flees to France
1689 January – Convention Parliament established:
- Declared William and Mary joint rulers
- Presented the Declaration of Rights
1689 May – Toleration Act:
- William had urged the removal of the sacramental test for public office
holders which would mean repealing the Test Act (that all public office
holders were expected to take Anglican Communion)
- As a compromise, William suggested a Toleration Act be passed, promising
the Tory and Anglican demands for uniformity to be referred to Convocation
(assembly of the Church discussing such issues) later in the year. William
needed to maintain good relations with both dissenters and Anglicans
- Under the terms of the Act:
Dissenters were exempted from punishment if they took oath of
allegiance to the Crown and accepted the 1678 Test Act – meaning
they could not enter public employment without swearing loyalty to
the Anglican Church
Dissenters’ meetings were closely monitored, and the doors of their
meeting places could not be locked
Quakers were allowed to declare, rather than swear as they refused
to take oaths
- The Act made it easier for dissenters to worship freely and by 1714, there
were around 400,000 dissenters in England
- The Act humiliated the Anglican clergy and the Tories in the Commons – the
Whig majority in Parliament who had been keen for the act to be passed,
insisted the clergy take an oath of allegiance to William and Mary. As they
had already sworn allegiance to James and believed in the concept of passive
obedience, many did not agree with this demand and over 400 parish priests
refused and were deprived of their livings. This gave the Whigs an excuse to
attack the Tories and High Church clergy, accusing them of being more loyal
to James than to William. The clergy were removed from office and replaced
with more moderate men, sympathetic to the Whig cause
- The Act excluded Catholics, non-Trinitarians and Jews
James II:
Reissued the Declaration of indulgence in 1688 – toleration to all religious
groups, both protestant and catholic
Started to rule like the Catholic absolute monarch Louis XIV
Whigs believed he had broken a solemn contract with the people
Some moderates believed that government existed because of an agreement
between the king and the people
Locke and the Whigs believed that if a ruler attempted to act like an absolute
monarch, citizens had the right to remove them.
James II openly defied both parliament and the religious establishment,
prompting actions that would become revolutionary
William of Orange
A convention parliament was elected meeting 22 January 1689
Radical Whigs wanted to declare William king immediately, but many others
favoured a role for his wife Mary, by hereditary right
Crown was offered to them both with the Declaration of Rights being read out at
their coronation
At the end of 1689, the Declaration was modified as the Bill of Rights:
- Clauses referred to specific abuses of the royal prerogative under Charles II and
James II
- Important clause calling for regular and free elections – MPs resented attempts
by the Crown to intimidate and tamper with elections
- Made certain the legal position of the army – a force could not be raised or kept
in time of peace without the consent of parliament
Limitations of the Bill of Rights:
- It was vague; absolutism could still creep in
- Made no provision for ensuring that elections were regular or free – no
definition of ‘free’
- However, this vagueness was partially removed by the Triennial Act of 1694
- Could be revoked by any future parliament
- The monarch was still free to decide on issues surrounding war, peace and
foreign policy
- William was still able to choose his own advisers
Mutiny Acts passed from 1689 ensuring the king could not court martial at will
without the consent of parliament – each act was only valid for a year which forced
the king to have to turn to parliament regularly for approval. Benefitted Crown and
Parliament – William was able to freely punish those who had mutinied (those who
refuse to fight on the king’s behalf due to other loyalties e.g. to James II) and
parliament was able to place limits on the royal prerogative if it wished
William’s advisers – he used his prerogative powers to form a Privy Council of his
own choosing; he chose Lord Halifax as Lord Privy Seal as he had led the House of
, Lords in their discussions about the political settlement during the Convention
Parliament and he was not loyal to either the Whigs or Tories. Earl of Danby was
appointed Lord President of the Council. A careful balance of Whigs and Tories were
appointed to other posts
1688 – Declaration of Indulgence reissued:
- toleration to all religious groups, both protestant and catholic
- friction created by James allowing Catholics and those of non-Christian faiths
freedom of religion
1688 – Invitation to William of Orange; James II flees to France
1689 January – Convention Parliament established:
- Declared William and Mary joint rulers
- Presented the Declaration of Rights
1689 May – Toleration Act:
- William had urged the removal of the sacramental test for public office
holders which would mean repealing the Test Act (that all public office
holders were expected to take Anglican Communion)
- As a compromise, William suggested a Toleration Act be passed, promising
the Tory and Anglican demands for uniformity to be referred to Convocation
(assembly of the Church discussing such issues) later in the year. William
needed to maintain good relations with both dissenters and Anglicans
- Under the terms of the Act:
Dissenters were exempted from punishment if they took oath of
allegiance to the Crown and accepted the 1678 Test Act – meaning
they could not enter public employment without swearing loyalty to
the Anglican Church
Dissenters’ meetings were closely monitored, and the doors of their
meeting places could not be locked
Quakers were allowed to declare, rather than swear as they refused
to take oaths
- The Act made it easier for dissenters to worship freely and by 1714, there
were around 400,000 dissenters in England
- The Act humiliated the Anglican clergy and the Tories in the Commons – the
Whig majority in Parliament who had been keen for the act to be passed,
insisted the clergy take an oath of allegiance to William and Mary. As they
had already sworn allegiance to James and believed in the concept of passive
obedience, many did not agree with this demand and over 400 parish priests
refused and were deprived of their livings. This gave the Whigs an excuse to
attack the Tories and High Church clergy, accusing them of being more loyal
to James than to William. The clergy were removed from office and replaced
with more moderate men, sympathetic to the Whig cause
- The Act excluded Catholics, non-Trinitarians and Jews
