The Glorious Revolution and its effects England 1688

Aims of the lesson By the end of this lesson you will Understand the reasons why the Glorious Revolution occurred in 1688 Describe the events of the revolution Evaluate the consequences of the revolution during the 18 th century and today

The Background In 1660 Charles II became King and ruled for 25 years until he died in 1685 Charles reign was peaceful but was dominated by the man who was due to follow him – James, the Prince of Wales James was a Catholic who promised to make England a Catholic country again and this worried many protestants

James II Pig headed and insensitive Tried to covert his daughter, Anne to Catholicism Married but had no children – this was a comfort to the Protestants who could endure James but did want a Catholic on the throne after him

The warming pan baby 1688 In 1688 James had a son – it was a miracle as it was thought that his wife could have children The succession was now firmly Catholic Protestants were horrified and spread a rumour that it was not James’ and was smuggled in, in a warming pan

William and Mary There was an alternative to James – his daughter, Mary who was married to the ruler of Holland, William of Orange A group of powerful Protestants wrote to William to invite him over to England and to force James off the throne.

November 1688 William landed in Torbay on the south coast of England He marched to London and gained support on his way there off Protestants James furious but could do nothing and eventually fled to France No fighting in England – a bloodless revolution

The settlement William agreed to become King only as long as he and Mary were recognised as joint monarchs Parliament agreed to this and to accept Mary's’ sister Anne as the heir William accepted the Bill of rights of 1689 and the Triennial Act of 1694

The Bill of Rights 1689 The basis of today's British constitution Parliament will decide the level of taxes Parliament will make all laws No army unless Parliament agrees No one will be sent to prison without a proper trial The King and Queen of England must be Protestant

The Triennial Act 1694 There must be elections for a new Parliament every three years This has since been changed to every five years