THE glorious revolution took place in England in 1688.
It was a move 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.
Summary
The English lived a period of discontent. Since James II's accession to the throne in 1685, England has been ruled by a Catholic king who advocated absolutism.
The problem is that Anglicanism and other variations of the Protestant religion were already established in England.
King James II valued Catholicism over Protestantism, as he considered it a false religion. Thus, in a privileged position, he made available positions in the kingdom, as well as at Oxford University, to Catholic men.
Catholics began to threaten Protestants, who feared that their beliefs would be persecuted.
Likewise, those who had acquired properties belonging to the Catholic Church feared that they would be lost if Catholicism were restored.
know more:
- Puritan Revolution
- Absolutism
- Protestant Reformation
- Catholicism
monarchical restoration
Allegory about 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 Mary. Faithful to his belief, they joined a group of Protestants with the aim of overthrowing the English king and assuming the throne.
Supported by an army, William Orange invaded England. King James II, for his part, still makes an attempt to retain his throne, but is defeated at the Battle of Boyne in 1690.
In this way he fled to France, where he was taken in by his French and Catholic relatives.
After James II's flight, 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 thus passed into 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 cut off from public life;
- Other forms of Protestantism would not be tolerated.
Likewise, a new form of government emerged - the so-called parliamentary monarchy at the expense of absolutism.
In this way, the Bills of Rights (Declaration of Rights), document that guarantees:
- the power of parliament vis-a-vis the sovereign,
- veto Catholics ascend to the throne and 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 English Industrial Revolution. In this way, bourgeois supremacy is finally established.
One hundred years after the Glorious Revolution, the French Revolution. This will be driven by the bourgeoisie and had as one of its objectives to limit the king's power.
France, like England and Spain, was one of the main absolutist countries. The country also aspired to economic growth, while rival England was, precisely, in the process of the Industrial Revolution.
Read more:
- English Revolution
- Magna Carta
- Social contract
- absolutist state
