The
Revolution of 1688, often referred to as the ‘Glorious Revolution’, terminated
the reign of James II and ushered in the reign of William III and Mary II. It
established the joint monarchy of James II’s protestant daughter Mary and her Dutch
husband, William of Orange. The Revolution is glorious in three ways: firstly,
because it was accomplished without bloodshed and violence, secondly because it
secured the triumph of parliamentary government over kingly despotism, thirdly
it was a defensive revolution. No drastic changes were introduced. Only ancient
constitutional principles were reaffirmed and ratified.
An
undercurrent of tension between king and parliament ran deep throughout the 17th
century. In the 1642s, the dispute turned into civil war. The loser, Charles I,
was beheaded in 1649; his sons, Charles and James, fled to France; and the
victorious Oliver Cromwell ruled England in the 1650s. Cromwell’s death in 1659
created a political vacuum, so Parliament invited Charles I’s sons back from
exile, and the English monarchy was restored with the coronation of Charles II
in 1660.
The
Restoration, however, did not settle the fundamental questions of power between
king and Parliament. Indeed, exile had exposed Charles I’s sons to the strong
monarchical methods of Louis XIV. Charles and James returned to Britain with
expectations of an absolute monarchy justified by the Divine Right of Kings, so
tensions continued during the reigns of Charles II (1660-1685) and his brother
James II (1685-88).
Through
his actions James II lost all support from the parliament. 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. But James was a Catholic
Christian while most members of parliament were Protestant Christians. He
removed Protestant officials and people from the army and the church and
replaced them with Catholics. He also suspended laws that the parliament had
made because he believed they were unfair to Catholics. He tried to introduce
his own laws which were more tolerant of Catholics.
James
II wanted to space Catholicism in the universities also. For instance, the
principal ship of Magdalene College of Oxford University was vacated and one
James Parker a catholic was appointed. Thus James alienated the sympathies of
the learned people also. Seven members of Whigs and Torrey invited William and
Mary to take over the throne. Instantly they grab the opportunity.
Issues
Separating Crown and Parliament, 1660-1688
Issue
|
King’s Favoured Position
|
Parliament’s Favoured Position
|
Constitution
|
Absolute
Royal Power
(King
above Law)
|
Constrained
Royal Power
(King
within Law)
|
Religion
|
Catholic
|
Protestant
|
Ally
|
France
|
Holland
|
Enemy
|
Holland
|
France
|
Inter-Branch
Checks
|
Royal
right to control succession
(Parliamentary
approval NOT required)
|
Parliament’s
right to meet
(Royal
summons NOT required)
|
Judiciary
|
Subject
to Royal Punishment
|
Subject
to Parliamentary Impeachment
|
Ordinary
Revenue
|
Royal
authority sufficient to impose and collect traditional taxes.
|
Parliamentary
authority necessary to impose and collect traditional taxes.
|
Extraordinary
Revenue
|
Royal
authority sufficient to impose and collect new taxes.
|
Parliamentary
authority necessary to impose and collect new taxes.
|
Appropriation
|
Complete
royal control over expenditures.
|
Parliamentary
audit or even appropriation.
|
The
Declaration of Bill of Rights was the main result of this revolution. It had
following significant features:
a) It ended the Divine Right theory of Kingship.
b) It ended the absolute monarchy.
c) It made the institution of monarchy permanent.
d) It established the supremacy of Parliament.
e) It settled all the religious questions for England for all times to come.
f) It established the rule of law and individual liberty.
g) It marked the beginning of a
series of wars between England and, France which was to continue for
more than a century.
h) The bank of England was founded
to lend money to the Govt.
So
sum up about Glorious Revolution, what Ramsay Muir says, "Such were the extremely
modest legal changes whereby Parliamentary supremacy and religious liberties
were established in England.”
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