Until then, the throne would have passed to his daughter Mary, a Protestant. The prospect of a Catholic dynasty in the kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland was now likely.
William was also stadtholder of the main provinces of the Dutch Republic. He had already acquired the reputation of being the main champion of the Protestant cause against Catholicism and French absolutism. In the developing English crisis, he saw an opportunity to prevent an Anglo-French alliance and bring England to the anti-French side by carrying out a military intervention directed against James. This suited the desires of several English politicians who intended to depose James.
It is still a matter of controversy whether the initiative for the conspiracy was taken by the English or by the stadtholder and his wife. On June 30, , a group of seven Protestant nobles invited the Prince of Orange to come to England with an army. By September, it became clear that William would invade England. William arrived on November 5. James refused a French offer to send an expeditionary force, fearing that it would cost him domestic support.
He tried to bring the Tories to his side by making concessions, but failed because he still refused to endorse the Test Act. His forward forces had gathered at Salisbury, and James went to join them on November 19 with his main force, having a total strength of about 19, Meanwhile, on November 18, Plymouth had surrendered to William, and on November 21, William began to advance.
James offered free elections and a general amnesty for the rebels. In reality, by that point he was simply playing for time, having already decided to flee the country. James was received in France by his cousin and ally, Louis XIV, who offered him a palace and a pension.
The status of William and Mary in England was unclear while James, though now in France, still had many supporters in the country. Indeed, the immediate constitutional impact of the revolution settlement was minimal. Nonetheless, over the course of the reign of William III society underwent significant and long-lasting changes. It reflected a widely-held belief in an elaborate conspiracy theory, that Catholics were actively plotting the overthrow of church and state. In their place would be established a Catholic tyranny, with England becoming merely a satellite state, under the control of an all-powerful Catholic monarch, in the era of the Glorious Revolution, identified with Louis XIV of France.
This conspiracy theory was given credibility by the existence of some genuine catholic subterfuge, most notably the Gunpowder Plot of Public anxieties were raised by the issue of the royal succession. Charles II fathered no legitimate offspring. This meant that the crown would pass to his brother, James, Duke of York, whose conversion to Catholicism had become public knowledge in Public concern about the succession reached fever pitch in the years Whig politicians within parliament, led by the earl of Shaftesbury, promoted exclusion bills which would have prevented James from succeeding to the throne.
With this financial support, and with public opinion turning against his critics, Charles was able to dissolve parliament on 28 March Initial support for the king ebbed away as it became clear that he wished to secure not only freedom of worship for Catholics, but also the removal of the Test and Corporation Acts so that they could occupy public office.
In April , James issued a declaration of indulgence, suspending penal laws against Catholics. James then attempted to secure his religious objectives through the use of his prerogative powers. In April , James issued a declaration of indulgence, suspending penal laws against Catholics and granting toleration to some Protestant dissenters. In the summer of , James formally dissolved his parliament and began canvassing officials across the country regarding their support for the formal repeal of the Test Acts.
James responded by having them arrested for seditious libel and taken to the Tower of London. Their acquittal at trial was met with widespread public rejoicing. The grave danger posed to the Protestant succession and the Anglican establishment led seven peers to write to William on 30 June , pledging their support to the prince if he brought a force into England against James.
William had already begun making military preparations for an invasion of England before this letter was sent. Indeed, the letter itself mainly served a propaganda purpose, to allow the prince of Orange to present his intervention as a mercy mission.
William of Orange assembled an impressive armada for the invasion and landed in Torbay, Devon, in November King James, however, had prepared for military attacks and left London to bring his forces to meet the invading army.
James decided to retreat back to London on November In December , King James made an attempt to escape but was captured. Later that month, he made another attempt and successfully fled to France, where his Catholic cousin Louis XIV held the throne and where James eventually died in exile in In January , the now-famous Convention Parliament met.
The two new rulers accepted more restrictions from Parliament than any previous monarchs, causing an unprecedented shift in the distribution of power throughout the British realm. The king and queen both signed the Declaration of Rights, which became known as the Bill of Rights. This document acknowledged several constitutional principles, including the right for regular Parliaments, free elections and freedom of speech in Parliament. Additionally, it forbade the monarchy from being Catholic.
While there was little bloodshed and violence in England, the revolution led to significant loss of life in Ireland and Scotland. After this event, the monarchy in England would never hold absolute power again. 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. The Glorious Revolution, Parliament. History of Massachusetts Blog. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us!
Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. The French Revolution was a watershed event in modern European history that began in and ended in the late s with the ascent of Napoleon Bonaparte.
0コメント