The Glorious Revolution, popularly known as “The Bloodless Revolution” refers to the revolution that took place in England from 1688 to 1689. This peaceful revolution resulted in the overthrow of King James II and the subsequent enthronement of his daughter Mary II and her husband, Prince William III of Orange. As the outgoing King James II was Catholic, and his daughter was Protestant, the reasons behind the revolution were both political and religious.
King James II became the King of England in 1685, a period marked by a tense relationship between Catholics and Protestants. In the meantime, there was bitterness between the British Parliament and the monarchy. As he was a Roman Catholicism fanatic, James supported the freedom of worship for Catholics. Moreover, he also appointed Catholic officers to the army thereby alienating the majority of the population.
In 1687, King James II issued a Declaration of Indulgence suspending penal laws against Catholics. Following that, he dissolved the existing parliament and attempted to create a new parliament that would be in his support unconditionally.
James’ daughter Mary was supposed to be the rightful heir to the throne. In 1688, however, he had a son, James Francis Edward Stuart, and he immediately announced that the son would be raised Catholic, thanks to the fact that his wife, Queen Mary of Modena, also was a Roman Catholic. As a result, the Whigs who opposed Catholic succession feared that a Catholic dynasty was imminent. There was a huge confusion as to who would succeed James on the English throne.
Meanwhile, one bishop and six prominent politicians wrote to William of Orange, pledging their allegiance to him if he invaded England and redressed the nation’s grievances. In November 1688, William of Orange landed on Tor Bay and advanced from there on to London slowly. In preparation for military attacks, King James had left London. Unfortunately for him, several of his own men deserted him and supported William. In addition, James’ health was supposedly deteriorating.
As his power was on the wane, King James announced his willingness for a free parliament, and he was also planning to flee the country for his safety. He was captured in the process of his attempted escape in December 1688. He made yet another attempt later that month and successfully escaped to France, where the king was his Catholic cousin, Louis XIV. Eventually, James died in exile in 1701.
Because of the overthrow of King James II without any bloodshed, the revolution was called the Glorious Revolution by John Hampden in 1689. The Glorious Revolution undoubtedly was one of the biggest in English history as it transformed Britain from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. As a result, no monarch could hold absolute power thereafter.
