Glorious Revolution

Glouious Revolution

The Term Glorious Revolution refers to the generally popular overthrow of James II of England in 1688 by a conspiracy between some parliamentarians and the Dutch stadtholder, William III of Orange-Nassau. The event is sometimes referred to as the Bloodless Revolution, but this name is not accurate, nor were its consequences bloodless in Scotland and Ireland; some modern historians prefer the more neutral Revolution of 1688. During his three year reign, King James II fell victim to the political battles in the British Isles between Catholicism and Protestantism on the one hand, and on the other, between the divine right of the Crown and the political rights of Parliament. James's greatest political problem was his Catholicism, which left him alienated from both parties in Parliament. Any attempts at reform by James were thus viewed with great suspicion. James also pursued a number of untenable