There arc and have been some revolutions in the World which have their indelible impression on the course of history. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 which happened in England is one such revolution.
It has significant place in the history of England. The credit for bringing to an end the constitutional struggle between the Stuarts and their Parliaments during the seventeenth century goes to the Glorious Revolution. By this revolution constitutional monarchy was set up in England and the illegal and arbitrary powers of the kings were abolished once for all. The people got the long cherished independence and freedom.
Rules were formed which envisaged that the kings would now rule according to the wishes of the people. This revolution is called glorious because if gave constitutional and almost’ sovereign powers to the people without any blood-shed.
The real cause of the origin of the Glorious Revolution could be traced in the Tudor period. In the middle Ages the kings used to rule with the help of powerful feudal Lords. But as the time passed many events weakened the power of these feudal barons.
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In the Stuart period the Parliament was asking for its rights and privileges and the kings were treating themselves as absolute despots. They wanted to rule despotically and the Parliament would not let them do it. This quarrel came to a head in the Glorious Revolution.
It was at this time that James II wanted to propagate Catholicism and impose it on his subjects. This was the basses for the revolution of 1688. The Parliament did not approve his policy of the king.
They wanted to remove the restriction the Catholic faith. He therefore started ruling arbitrarily and without the help of Parliament which the people and Parliament naturally could not tolerate. They rose in rev and James II had to vacate his throne.
Factors Responsible for Glorious Revolution:
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There were many reasons responsible for the revolution of the type staged in 1688 It is difficult to attribute this revolution to any one single cause. It was, in fact, the outcome of social, religious and political discontentment of the people England. Some such important causes were as under:
(1) Rejection of Test Acts:
The Test Act was passed during the reign of Charles II. It required that every person who wanted to get Civil or Military Post must accept the Anglican Church and its principles.
The Catholics were thus deprived of these privileges. The new king James wanted to attach more importance to the Catholics and therefore he made fervent efforts to reject this Act.
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Besides, the new king also announced that he reserved the right to reject and repeal any law that he might deem necessary. And one law may not be applicable on all people equally.
The idea at the back of James mind was that all important positions and posts in the state and the church should be given to the Catholics. The Parliament did not like this treatment of the king. Rejection of a Parliamentary Law was like rejecting the constitution of the country.
Thereupon the king said that he could convert his prerogatives into laws, if need be. And by his Dispensing and suspending power, James repealed all the Acts against the Catholics and the puritans. The people and the Parliament did not tolerate it. They revolted.
(2) Interference in the University Affairs:
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James II wanted to spaced Catholicism in the universities also. After the rejection of the Test Act, were made the appoints of Catholics to the churches, courts, army and other departments politically. For pushing the Catholics to high positions, James used many unfair means. For instance, the principal ship of Magdalene College of Oxford University was vacated and one James Parker a catholic was appointed.
He dismissed the vice-chancellor of Cambridge University because he had refused to accommodate a Catholic in the University. He compelled the members of the Christ Church College to appoint a catholic as Dean.
The Parliament could not tolerate this high handedness of the monarch on the plea that catholic professors in the Universities were bound to influence the impressionable minds of the young students. Moreover University people also disliked it. Thus James aliented the sympathies of the learned people also.
(3) Irish and Scottish policy of James II:
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Not only in England, James gave religious freedom to Catholics in Ireland and Scotland too. He appointed one Tryconell, a Catholic as Lord Liewternant. He was very harsh and in human. He persecuted the Protestants in an evilish way with the result that these people turned against him.
To implement his religious policy, James revived the court of High Commission. It was known as the Ecclesiastical court. One Jeffrey’s was appointed the Lord Chief Justice.
The Court was used as an instrument of conversion and forcefully implementing the religious policies of James II. Presbyterians could also the escape the rigours of James II’s eyes.
Thus the people of Ireland and Scotland became willing participants in the revolution against the king. James was directly responsible for alienating their support and sympathy.
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(4) Revival of Court of High Commission:
James revived the Court of High Commission in order to impose his religious beliefs and the divine right of kings. The revived court was Christened Ecclesiastical court.
The court of High Commission had already been declared illegal and its activities null and void. It was abolished in 1641 by the Long Parliament.
To revive such a court was absolutely illegal through and through. Besides James encouraged the law courts to give exemplary deterrent punishment to the rebels. Jeffrey’s was largely responsible for the in human atrocities inflicted on the people who did not see eye to eye with the king.
He executed person and 850 were sold as slates and exported to colonies. Because of these Bloody. Assizes the people came to develop hatred for the king.
(5) Attempt to maintain a strong Army:
A new church was opened in London which sparked off a serious quarrel. This was a golden opportunity for James II. He collected an army composed of Catholics. The number of this army’s soldiers estimated near about 30,000.
This army was always camping o the out skirts of London and terrified the Londoners for being something new. The People widely opposed this move of their kind as they felt that the king was trying to set up a military rule and that too dominated by the Catholics.
People also turned against the king because they suspected that he might use this standing army against them. They also feared another Civil War.
(6) James and his Enemies:
The courtiers who had conspired to rise in revolt against the king included the Duke of Monmouth and the Dude of Argy II They was arrested, no doubt; and they and their supporters were awarded very severe punishments.
Some were executed also. About three hundred People were executed like this and more than a thousand persons were exiled. People were sore at this ghastly carnage and suppression and turned against the king.
(7) First Declaration of Indulgence:
James was a Roman catholic and he treated his fellow religious believers most sympathetically by appointing them to high positions in the state and the army. Not only that, James II invited Pope of Rome to England and restored his old position officially on him.
In 1687 James issued his First Declaration of Indulgence according to which all were given full freedom of religion. This act of the monarch alienated the loyalty and support of the Protestants and other anti-Catholics.
(8) Second Declaration of Indulgence:
In April 1688 the king issued a Second Declaration of- Indulgence, according to which Roman Catholic Dissenters were given the right to follow their religion according to their faith. Besides, announcement was made that People would be appointed to high positions irrespective of their religious beliefs or showing any partiality tot any group.
An order was, issued that this announcement should be repeated in the churches by the clergymen for two weeks. There upon, Archbishop Sancroft and other bishops sent a petition to the king that he might not insists on the Declaration being read out in the churches repeatedly.
They also requested that the king may not break the old laws and traditions like this. The king gave a deaf ear to it. He on the contrary, charged the bishops with treason. They were tried but released. This made people very, unhappy and they began to hate the king all the more.
(9) Birth of Jame’s son:
But situation became out of control when news of birth of a son to James was announced. So far James had only two daughters. Both had protestant learning’s. The elder daughter Mary who had married William, prince of orange. The other daughter was Anne. When James got a son, the situation became all the more serious. People tolerated James because they thought he was an old man.
After him a protestant monarch would be found. This would bring to an end the despotic rule. On June 10, 1688, announcement was made that Queen of Modena had given birth to a son. People were greatly disappointed. It was certain that the boy would be brought up in the Catholic way and thus the next monarch on their throne would be a catholic which they could not tolerate.
They had completely exhausted their patience and the news instead of pleasing the masses dismayed them. They decided to revolt against the king and remove him from the throne. That is why people found a solution in obliging the king to leave England and instead invited William of Orange to become their king.
Events of the Glorious Revolution:
All groups such as the Whigs, the Tories and the Clergy held a secret meeting and decided to replace James II by William of Orange, the son in law of James II. An agent was sent to William to invite him to become king of England. He accepted the invitation gladly.
William landed with 15,000 soldiers, and was greeted by the people of England, James wanted to resist but he was deserted by his followers and army Even his second daughter turned against him.
Then James left England and fled to France. The Parliament met on January 22, 1689 and immediately passed a resolution announcing that James had left the country and that the throne of England was laying vacant, William and Mary were accepted as joint sovereigns with the assurance that they shall honour Parliamentary institutions.