England’s Glorious Revolution

A bloodless revolution, most likely the only time that it has happened in the 17th century Europe. Today, what governing body has more power in the UK? Is it the Monarch or is it Parliament? The answer is parliament and the Glorious Revolution is to blame for this. England has always had a monarch, and even today the Queen stands more as a figurehead for morale, were parliament actually runs the country.

The events that lead to this succession of the monarch by parliament are known as the Glorious Revolution. To really understand this radical change in European history one must really understand the background that lead to these events. In 1661 Charles the Second was restored to the throne following the death of Oliver Cromwell. The Restoration was known for its lascivious king and permissive court, which set the general social tone. Following many years of stern puritan rule, the King was more interested in enjoying himself than in religious dogma. Many people followed the King's lead. It is still possible to visit the Walks at Gray's Inn, where smartly dressed crowds promenaded about seeing and being seen, checking out each other's outfits. After all the years of revolution and misguided idealism, many people were now more interested in this year's fashion. But of course not everyone was as sensible: even though the King was religiously tolerant, society in general was not. The fanatic Titus Oates whipped up groundless rumours about a catholic plot to kill Charles, which caused hysteria, and led to arrests and needless executions. The real threat to the King came not from imaginary catholic plots, but from Parliament which was growing in strength all the time.

In February 1685 Charles the Second died and was succeeded by his brother James, as James the Second. The problem with James was his catholic faith. Charles the Second's illegitimate son James Duke of Monmouth, a protestant, attempted to stage a rising to snatch the throne, but his makeshift force was defeated in July 1685 at the Battle of Sedgemoor near Bridgewater in Somerset. The inn where Monmouth ran his failed campaign, the George at Norton St Philip still exists. The Exeter Guildhall where Judge Jeffreys passed sentence on the captured rebels is still used for local government activities, and can be visited.

James Stuart held his throne, and practiced his faith privately. He fitted up a small disused chapel at Windsor Castle as his own personal catholic refuge. Meanwhile he would go through the motions of the Anglican Church in public. James set about trying to sweep away institutional religious discrimination, but society was not ready for such toleration. Prejudice against catholics was deeply engrained.

In June 1688, Maria d'Este, James's second wife gave birth to a son. Now the promise of succession by his protestant daughter Mary, married to the safely protestant William of Orange, was taken away. A group of Whig and Tory conspirators, in which the Earl of Devonshire played a leading role, met at the Cock and Pynot in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. This group invited William to invade and take the throne. William tried first to land at Hull, but was blown back by what became known as a "popish wind." William tried again, and this time he had a "protestant wind" behind him, which blew him to Brixham in Devon where he landed unopposed on the fifth of November 1688. As this was also the date of Bonfire Night celebrating the defeat of a catholic attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1604, the power of the protestant wind must have seemed particularly strong. On the 18th of December 1688 James woke up in his bed at Whitehall Palace, ( a bed which survives and can be seen at Knole) and saw Dutch troops outside. James fled to the continent with his family. William and Mary were then officially proclaimed king and queen at the Banqueting House in Whitehall, Ironically the ceremony took place beneath the huge ceiling painting by Rubens which Charles the First had commissioned to portray the divine right of kings. James, meanwhile, briefly attempted to regain the throne with the help of Scottish and Irish allies. At Killiecrankie just south of Pitlochry in 1689, Highlanders fighting for James