ENGLAND REVOLUTION

Glorious Revolution, also called Revolution of 1688 or Bloodless Revolution, in

English history, the events of 1688–89 that resulted in the deposition of James II and the accession of his daughter Mary II and her husband, William III, prince of Orange and stack holder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands.

ABSOLUTE MONARCHISM

Between the years 1500 and 1650, most of the major European powers were led by absolute monarchs who claimed a divine right to rule.So these monarchs were rulers who believed that they had a divine right to rule. That God had chosen them to rule, and the people who they were ruling believed this as well, or they would protest that person ruling. Throughout

Europe, they were a series of monarchs that ruled in each of the dominate countries during that time. So for many years, England was ruled by the Tudor family. Henry VIII was founder of the Anglican Church, or the Church of England, and he had been a Tudor, and then his daughter

Elizabeth continued his policies. So King Henry VIII was founder of the Anglican Church.

LONG PALIAMENT 1640-1660

Long Parliament, the English Parliament summoned in November 1640 by King

Charles I; it has been so named to distinguish it from the Short Parliament of April–May 1640.

The duration of the Long Parliament has been held to have extended either until April 1653, when its remaining members were forcibly ejected by the Cromwellian army, or until March

1660, when its members, finally restored, passed an act for its dissolution. Legally the act of

1660 was as invalid as the ejection of 1653, because it lacked royal assent. An act of the

Convention Parliament of April–December 1660 can be said to have finally dissolved the Long

Parliament, though the Convention was itself not a lawful parliament because it had not been summoned by the king; its acts were reinforced by later legislation. Policies of King James II

King James II took the throne in England in 1685, during a time when relations between

Catholics and Protestants were tense. There was also considerable friction between the monarchy and the British Parliament.James, who was Catholic, supported the freedom of worship for Catholics and appointed Catholic officers to the army. He also had close ties with

France—a relationship that concerned many of the English people.

In 1687, King James II issued a Declaration of Indulgence, which suspended penal laws against Catholics and granted acceptance of some Protestant dissenters. Later that year, the king formally dissolved his Parliament and attempted to create a new Parliament that would support him unconditionally. James’s daughter Mary, a Protestant, was the rightful heir to the throne until 1688 when James had a son, James Francis Edward Stuart, whom he announced would be raised Catholic.

Bloodless Revolution

The Glorious Revolution is sometimes dubbed the Bloodless Revolution, although this description isn’t entirely accurate. While there was little bloodshed and violence in England, the revolution led to significant loss of life in Ireland and Scotland.

Catholic historians typically refer to the Glorious Revolution as the “Revolution of

1688,” while Whig historians prefer the phrase “Bloodless Revolution.” The term “Glorious

Revolution” was first coined by John Hampden in 1689.

Bill of Rights

William was now asked to carry on the government and summon a Parliament. When this Convention Parliament met (January 22, 1689), it agreed, after some debate, to treat

James’s flight as an abdication and to offer the crown, with an accompanying Declaration of Rights, to William and Mary jointly. Both gift and conditions were accepted. Thereupon, the convention turned itself into a proper Parliament and large parts of the Declaration into a Bill of Rights. This bill gave the succession to Mary’s sister, Anne, in default of issue from Mary, barred Roman Catholics from the throne, abolished the crown’s power to suspend laws, condemned the power of dispensing with laws “as it hath been exercised and used of late,” and declared a standing army illegal in time of peace.

The settlement marked a considerable triumph for Whig views. If no Roman Catholic could be king, then no kingship could be unconditional. The adoption of the exclusionist solution lent support to John Locke’s contention that government was in the nature of a social contract between the king and his people represented in Parliament. The revolution permanently established Parliament as the ruling power of England.

Legacy of the Glorious Revolution

Many historians believe the Glorious Revolution was one of the most important events leading to Britain’s transformation from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy.

After this event, the monarchy in England would never hold absolute power again.

With the Bill of Rights, the regent’s power was defined, written down and limited for the first time. Parliament’s function and influence changed dramatically in the years following the revolution. The event also had an impact on the 13 colonies in North America. The colonists were temporarily freed of strict, anti-Puritan laws after King James was overthrown.

When news of the revolution reached the Americans, several uprisings followed, including the Boston Revolt, Leisler’s Rebellion in New York and the Protestant Revolution in Maryland. Since the Glorious Revolution, Parliament’s power in Britain has continued to increase, while the monarchy’s influence has waned. There’s no doubt this important event helped set the stage for the United Kingdom’s present-day political system and government.