The Glorious Revolution (1688)

The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of King James II of England (James VII of Scotland and James II of Ireland) by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau (William of Orange). William's successful invasion of England with a Dutch fleet and army led to his ascending the English throne as William III of England jointly with his wife Mary II of England.

The Revolution permanently ended any chance of Catholicism becoming re-established in England. For British Catholics its effects were disastrous both socially and politically: Catholics were denied the right to vote and sit in the Westminster Parliament for over a century, were denied commissions in the army; the monarch was forbidden to be Catholic or to marry a Catholic, a prohibition that continues to 2011.

The expression "Glorious Revolution" was first used by John Hampden in late 1689, and is an expression that is still used by the British Parliament. The Glorious Revolution is also occasionally termed the Bloodless Revolution, albeit inaccurately.

William III and Mary II

The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the coregency over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, of King William III & II and Queen Mary II. Their joint reign began in February 1689, when they were offered the throne by the Parliament of England, replacing James II & VII, Mary's father and William's uncle/father-in-law, who was "deemed to have fled" the country in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. After Mary died in 1694, William ruled alone until his death in 1702. William and Mary were childless and were ultimately succeeded by Mary's younger sister, Anne.

The Hanoverian dynasty

It succeeded the House of Stuart as monarchs of Great Britain and Ireland in 1714 and held that office until the death of Victoria in 1901.

Hanover Monarchs: Great Britain and the United Kingdom. Ernest Augustus and Sophia's son, George I became the first British monarch of the House of Hanover. The dynasty provided seven British monarchs:

Of the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland:

George I (r.1714–27) (Georg Ludwig = George Louis)

George II (r.1727–60) (Georg August = George Augustus)

George III (r.1760–1820)

Of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland:

George III (r.1760–1820)

George IV (r.1820–30)

William IV (r.1830–37)

Victoria (r.1837–1901)

George I, George II, George III

George I (1714 – 1727)

The first Hanoverian King of England was only 52nd in line to the throne, but, thanks to the Act of Settlement, George was the nearest Protestant eligible to take the crown. Born in Germany, George was not a fluent speaker of English and chose to speak in his native language.

George’s time on the throne saw the powers of the monarchy even more greatly diminished as the modern system of government by a Cabinet developed. By the end of his reign this progressed to the point at which actual power was held by Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first Prime Minister. George died of a stroke during one of his many visits to his beloved Hanover and was buried in the Chapel of the Leine Schloss.

George II (1727 – 1760)

He was the only son of the king and was also born in Hanover. When he ascended the throne he shared his father’s problem of having to fend off opposition from Jacobite supporters.

During George II’s later years he showed little interest in politics but he did involve Britain in the Seven Years War, which saw many European countries rise up against one another. His reign also saw the foundation of the Industrial Revolution. After thirty-three years on the throne, he died and was buried at Westminster Abbey. As his eldest son Frederick had died of an abscess, the heir became the King’s grandson, also named George.

George III (1760 – 1820)

Despite being the third Hanovarian monarch of Britain, this King George was the first to be born in Britain and use English as his first language. During his reign, George III tried to reverse the diminished role of the monarchy in governing the country but by this point ministers were too powerful. Also during George’s reign Britain lost many of its colonies in North America, but Great Britain and Ireland were joined together to form the United Kingdom.

In later years George III famously suffered from recurrent mental illness, thought to be related to the blood disease porphyria. However, recent studies have revealed high levels of arsenic in King George's hair, suggesting that the poison was also a possible cause of the King’s insanity. After a final relapse in 1811, the King's eldest son, George, Prince of Wales ruled as Prince Regent. Upon George's death aged 81, the Prince of Wales succeeded his father as George IV.