The Glorious

Revolution
ONE HELL OF A FAMILY FEUD!
BY MICHAEL C. WHEELER (MA)

To Sum Up
How William of Orange kicked the crap out of James II of England in 1688 and
assumed the throne.
OK, you can go home now

except

No Conflict is Without Its

Beginnings
All conflict is rooted in something earlier
So, lets discuss some of these family squabbles and a little history while
were at it.

Absolute Monarch/Despotism
despotism
desptizm/
noun
the exercise of absolute power, especially in a cruel and oppressive way.
"the King's arbitrary despotism"
a country or political system where the ruler holds absolute power.
plural noun:despotisms

The Tudors About as Close to

Despots as Possible

Tudors (Continued)
The family originally came to prominence in the 14th century with John
Beaufort, an illegitimate child of the English Prince John of Gaunt.
In 1455 John Beauforts granddaughter married Edmund Tudor (Henry VIs
half-brother)
Edmunds father Owen who took his grandfathers family name originally
Tewdur which in the Welsh language means King of the Land.
King Henry VI and his son were murdered in 1471 and Richard III assumed
the throne. Two years later Richard was defeated by Henry Tudor and thus
crowned himself Henry VII
The most infamous member of the Tudor family was King Henry VIII

King Henry VIII Highlights

Sought absolute power as a monarch
Had his 2nd and 5th wife executed (Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard)
Married a total of 6 times
Started the Church of England
After his death, his daughter Mary I, from his first marriage (a Catholic)
assumed a kind of joint control with Elizabeth I and Edward VI (Henrys son
from his 3rd marriage he was 9 at the time)

This takes us to James the VI of

Scotland and James I of England
(1567-1625)

A Tudor Relative and a

Protestant

His Son was Charles I (1600

-1649)
Created a rule of economic paternalism
***men only could inherit wealth
Did NOT get along with parliament,
tried to undermine them practically his entire life
***All around shady fellow
This got him executed in 1649 the first execution
of a king in modern history .

Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658)

Revolutionary in his own
right he was proparliamentarian meaning
that he did not agree with
absolute rule of monarchs.
A

Was primarily responsible for the trial of Charles I

Became something of a de-facto king but had no
real legitimacy

Charles II (1630-1685)
Son of Charles I, assumed control of the throne after
Oliver Cromwells son proved to be an inept leader
Charles II ruled from 1660 to 1685

The NEXT King was James II

Publically converted to Catholicism in 1672
Married an Italian Princess named Mary
Granted Catholics ability to serve in military, parliament,
And education
Was not well liked, but tolerated
The popular perception was that he was old
and would die soon
Lets listen to this guy talk about it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnDNPEKnOtU

7 Bishops Take a Stand

James II had them arrested and

locked away
For liable
But they got out good lawyers I guess

An Unexpected Problem
James Francis Edward was borne in June 1688 which meant that the British
people would have to endure more from the family.

However, Mary II (Jamess

Daughter) was not a Catholic
and
She was married to a very charismatic young protestant leader in the
Netherlands (William of Orange).

William was so popular that

Several Englishmen secretly wrote to him asking him to invade England
Letters state that the king (James) is unworthy of the crown
Also speculates that the infant child is not actually his liniage

The first paragraph

We have great satisfaction to find by 35 [Russell], and since by Monsieur
Zuylestein that your Highness is so ready and willing to give us such
assistances as they have related to us. We have great reason to believe we
shall be every day in a worse condition than we are, and less able to defend
ourselves, and therefore we do earnestly wish we might be so happy as to
find a remedy before it be too late for us to contribute to our own
deliverance. But although these be our wishes, yet we will by no means put
your Highness into any expectations which may misguide your own councils
in this matter; so that the best advice we can give is to inform your Highness
truly both of the state of things here at this time and of the difficulties which
appear to us.

The Second
As to the first, the people are so generally dissatisfied with the present conduct of the government in
relation to their religion, liberties and properties (all which have been greatly invaded), and they are in such
expectation of their prospects being daily worse, that your Highness may be assured there are nineteen
parts of twenty of the people throughout the kingdom who are desirous of a change, and who, we believe,
would willingly contribute to it, if they had such a protection to countenance their rising as would secure
them from being destroyed before they could get to be in a posture able to defend themselves. It is no less
certain that much the greatest part of the nobility and gentry are as much dissatisfied, although it be not
safe to speak to many of them beforehand; and there is no doubt but that some of the most considerable of
them would venture themselves with your Highness at your first landing, whose interests would be able to
draw great numbers to them whenever they could protect them and the raising and drawing men together.
And if such a strength could be landed as were able to defend itself and them till they could be got
together into some order, we make no question but that strength would quickly be increased to a number
double to the army here, although their army should all remain firm to them; whereas we do upon very
good grounds believe that their army then would be very much divided among themselves, many of the
officers being so discontented that they continue in their service only for a subsistence (besides that some
of their minds are known already), and very many of the common soldiers do daily shew such an aversion
to the popish religion that there is the greatest probability imaginable of great numbers of deserters which
would come from them should there be such an occasion; and amongst the seamen it is almost certain
there is not one in ten who would do them any service in such a war.

An Army Bankrolled
A banker, Baron Francisco Lopes Suasso (1657-1710) raised 2 million Gilders
no clue how much money that is these days, but needless to say, he was
able to raise an army of 25,000 soldiers.
At the same time, King Louis XIV of France did nothing to help his friend
James II
James was squashed when many of his senior advisors and generals
abandoned him for Williams side.
James ran away to France
William and Mary were crowned jointly as King and Queen by Parliament
for the first time, it was parliament that legitimized their rule as opposed to a
church.

The Declaration of Bill of Rights

1689
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/england.asp
Asserted the rights and responsibilities of Parliament
Many principals such as freedom of speech, bearing of arms, and jury would
later appear in USA documents
Also, created an environment of religious liberty.