The Glorious Revolution took place in England in 1688.
It was a movement driven by Parliament and Prince William of Orange against King James II's protection of the Catholic religion.
The Glorious Revolution is considered the end of the Puritan Revolution.
Abstract
The English lived a period of discontent. Since the accession of James II to the throne in 1685, England has been ruled by a Catholic king who defended absolutism.
The problem is that Anglicanism and other variations of the Protestant religion were already consolidated in England.
King James II valued Catholicism over Protestantism as he considered it a false religion. Thus, in a privileged position, he made offices available in the kingdom, as well as the University of Oxford, to Catholic men.
Catholics began to threaten Protestants, who feared that their belief would be persecuted.
Likewise, those who had acquired property belonging to the Catholic Church feared losing it if Catholicism were restored.
Learn more :
- Puritan Revolution
- Absolutism
- Protestant Reformation
- Catholicism
Monarchical Restoration
Allegory of the New State of England with Kings William and Mary
William Orange, nephew and son-in-law of King James II, was a Protestant, as was his wife Princess Maria. Faithful to his belief they joined a group of Protestants with the aim of overthrowing the English king and taking the throne.
Supported by an army, William Orange invaded England. King James II, meanwhile, still makes an attempt to keep himself on the throne, but is defeated at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
In this way he fled to France, where he was taken in by his French and Catholic relatives.
After the escape of James II, William and Mary were crowned kings of England and later of Scotland.
William would receive the title of William III of England and II of Scotland and so he went down in history as William III and II. This is due to the fact that England and Scotland were independent kingdoms in the 17th century.
Consequences
The Glorious Revolution brought about several changes in England:
- The Anglican Church has established itself as the official state church;
- Catholics were excluded from public life;
- Other forms of Protestantism would not be tolerated.
Likewise, a new form of government emerged - the so-called parliamentary monarchy to the detriment of absolutism.
In this way the Bills of Rights is approved (Declaration of Rights), document that guarantees:
- the power of Parliament vis-a-vis the sovereign,
- I veto Catholics ascending to the throne and to privileged positions.
Industrial Revolution and French Revolution
The Glorious Revolution has two outstanding characteristics:the peaceful way in which it developed and the mark of the end of absolutism.
As a result of the end of absolutism and the rise of the power of the bourgeoisie, a few decades later the process of the English Industrial Revolution began. In this way, bourgeois supremacy is finally established.
One hundred years after the Glorious Revolution, in turn, the French Revolution takes place. This will be driven by the bourgeoisie and had as one of the objectives to limit the power of the king.
France, like England and Spain, was one of the leading absolutist countries. The country also aspired to economic growth, while rival England was experiencing, precisely, the process of the Industrial Revolution.
Read more:
- English Revolution
- Magna Carta
- Social Contract
- Absolute State