Glorious Revolution
- also called
Revolution of 1688, or Bloodless Revolution - 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
stadholder of the Netherlands.
The people of
England did not like King James II because he would not let them vote
or worship God in the way they wanted to. They invited William III of
Orange-Nassau to take over as king.
1688
June 1688
The "Seven
Bishops" prosecuted by James II for refusing to announce the
Declaration of Indulgence in their churches were acquitted. The
"Immortal Seven" sent their invitation to William of Orange
to invade England after the birth of James II's son.
Nov.-Dec. 1688
The "Glorious
Revolution" - William of Orange invaded England and James II
fled to France. A Convention was summoned to decide the political
settlement.
1689
The Convention
Parliament voted that James II had 'abdicated' and that William and
Mary should be offered the Crown. The Commons read the Declaration of
Rights to William and Mary, which they later enacted as statute, the
Bill of Rights.
Parliament declared war on France (the Nine Years' War).
Aftermath
The Glorious
Revolution of 1688 is considered by some as being one of the most
important events in the long evolution of the respective powers of
Parliament and the Crown in England. With the passage of the Bill of
Rights, it stamped out once and for all any possibility of a Catholic
monarchy, and ended moves towards absolute monarchy in the British
kingdoms by circumscribing the monarch's powers.
