Glorious Revolution

Glorious Revolution

Causes and Results of Glorious Revolution

Question IV-1-6: Trace the events which led to the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
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What were the main causes of Glorious Revolution? Discuss its events?
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Why is the Glorious Revolution is called glorious?
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Describe the circumstance leading to the Glorious Revolution. Why is called glorious?
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What were effects of Glorious Revolution on the history of Great Britain?

Answer: In 1685, Duke of York took over the throne of England as King James II. However, with in three years, all the political parties of England and people of England became so annoyed with James II because of his policies that they requested the daughter of James II, Mary and her husband William of Orange to take over throne. When James II found that the whole nation was against him, he abandoned the throne in 1688. King William took over the throne of England on the request of her Parliament. This event is known as the Bloodless Revolution or Glorious Revolution.

Causes of Glorious Revolution:

1). Personality of James II: James II was incompetent to make the right judgement of the mood of the people. He lacked practical approach of a royal head. He was jealous and envious by nature. He was stubborn, revengeful and tactless. It was such traits of his personality which made him take wrong steps one after another and with in three years he came across a situation where his daughter and army deserted him and pressed by circumstances he escaped to France.
2). Attempt to Repeal Test Act: An act was passed in 1673, which debarred the Catholics to hold the government post in England. James II was great supporter of Catholics. He wanted to favour them. Therefore, he tried to repeal the Test Act. The Parliament strongly resisted his attempt. James II went ahead in making appointments of Catholics. It was not like by the Protestant England. No doubt, in Bill of Rights, which was constitutional arrangement after 1688, ban on Catholics was the main provision.
3). Suppression of enemies: In 1685, Duke of Argyle in Scotland revolted against James II. James II defeated and killed him. Again, the son of Charles II, Duke of Monmouth, revolted against him. James II also defeated him and killed him. He went a step further in his cruelty when he killed 300 of his supporters. It was cause of opposition against him for coming times.
4). Abuse of Royal Power: When James II faced great opposition of Parliament at the time of revoking of Test Act, he tried to acquire the Dispensing Power and Suspending Power. Under Dispensing Power he tried to claim that he could limit the exercise of any law. Under Suspending Power, he claimed that he could suspend the Parliament law for some time. It was something which the Parliament did not permit and confrontation was natural. No doubt, in the legal arrangements with William III after the revolution, Parliament totally debarred the king from taking over such rights.
5). Standing Army: James II tried to raise the army of England to 30000 with the idea of intimidating the people. The English nations did not like this act on the part of their monarch. In post revolution period, they included special provisions to check the future kings from adopting such measures during peace times.
6). Prerogative Courts: James II established a Court of Ecclesiastical Commission to establish the supremacy of Church over the English nation. The English Parliament had ended such courts in 1641. Charles II, the earlier king before James II had fully endorsed this act of Parliament. Hence, it was illegal on the part of James II to act in that manner. No doubt, it had raised great opposition against James II within the country.
7). Appointment of Catholics: James II interfered in the functioning of the English university like that of Oxford and Cambridge. He appointed many Catholics on the various bodies of those Universities. He suspended the Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University when he did not conferred degree on a Catholic monk. He virtually tried to convert those universities into centre of Catholic Religion. It turned the intellectuals of England against James II.
8). Policy towards Scotland and Ireland: Scotland and Ireland were strong Protestants. James II here also tried to impose the Catholics on those regions and convert it to a Roman Catholic region. It turned the Scottish and Irish people against the rule of James II.
9). James inclination towards France: James II was friend and cousin of Louis XIV of France. Louis XIV had adopted oppressive policies towards the Protestants of France. James II had shown support to his policies. The people of England did not approve their friendship. As a result, they started doubting the motives of James II.
10) Declaration of Indulgence and Trial of Seven Bishops: When James II found that the Parliament of England did not support his pro-Catholic legislation, he passed Declaration of Indulgence. Under this ordinance, he extended religious freedom to Catholics in order to make their appointment. As per his Second Declaration of Indulgence of 1688 he ordered the priests to declare that his ordinance in churches on every second Sunday. The Archbishop of Canterbury and six other priests petitioned before the king against his second order. James II refused to oblige. When the priests refused to oblige the king, they were arrested and tried in the court. The court extricated them. It sent jubilation among the people of England. It was virtually a verdict against the illegal acts of the king.
11). Immediate Cause: The people of England were putting up with the illegal acts of James II with a hope that as he did not have any legal heir and the next eligible candidate for the throne was his daughter Mary. Mary was a Protestant. However, it was a shock for them when a son was born to James II on June 10, 1688. The political parties including Whigs and Tories now feared that the illegal rule of James would not end with his death. They approached Mary and her husband King William III of Holland to take over the throne. William accepted their request.
12). Main Events: William landed on the post of Torbey on November 5, 1688. James II set out to meet him in the battle of field of Salisbury. However, his army left him and joined William. The exasperated James II abandoned England and escaped to France where he died in 1710. In January 1689, Convention of Parliament was called. The Parliament passed the Declaration of Rights. The throne was entrusted to William and Mary jointly. In this manner in a revolutionary manner, Declaration of Rights changed the whole set up in England without shedding any blood.

13) Main Result:

Significance and Nature: Nature: Trevelyan had called this revolution as a Glorious Revolution. His first argument is that this revolution had settled all the religious and political questions without any bloodshed which had never happened earlier. Secondly, this revolution had the full support of the people. Thirdly, it was not a revolution of any one political or religious ideology but represented the collective aspiration of the whole nation.
Significance: The Declaration of Rights was the main result of this revolution. It had following significant features:
a). It ended the Divine Right theory of Kingship.
b). It ended the absolute monarchy.
c). It made the institution of monarchy permanent.
d). It established the supremacy of Parliament.
e). It settled all the religious questions for England for all times to come.
f). It established the rule of law and individual liberty.

Note: Try to elaborate each point given under the title Significance if it is specifically asked in the question itself.