Glorious Revolution in England

Mary as the Solution James II’s daughter, Mary, was a Protestant –Mary was married to William of Orange of the Netherlands –The assumption was that Mary would inherit the Crown when James died –The Parliament decided to wait it out

A Royal Birth In 1688, James II’s second wife gave birth to a son. Since James was a practicing Catholic, his son would be raised a Catholic! –This son would inherit the throne over Mary Fears were ignited that a revival of Catholic power would return to England.

Parliament Takes Action Whig and Tory leaders united against James and his wife. They invited William to invade England and take over the Crown William III and Mary II gained the British throne without battles or bloodshed. This peaceful transfer of power became known as “The Glorious Revolution”.

New Limits on Royal Power English Bill of Rights, 1689 – the king could not raise taxes or maintain an army without the consent of Parliament –Guaranteed individual rights, e.g., trial by jury, no cruel & unusual punishment, no excessive bail, could appeal to the monarch, and speak freely in Parliament Act of Settlement, 1701, Parliament excluded any Catholic from inheriting the English throne The King & Queen could not rule without Parliament’s consent

The Trouble with Anne Anne Stuart became Queen in 1702, but she had no living children. A new problem arose with who would succeed her. The Act of Union, 1707, established the descendants of Sophia, a Protestant granddaughter of James I. –English royalty from this point would be of German heritage.