Glorious Revolution

Glorious Revolution
The Prince of Orange landing at Torbay
as depicted in an illustration by Jan Hoynck van Papendrecht
Date1688–1689
LocationBritish Isles
OutcomeCatholic James II replaced as king by his Protestant daughter Mary II and her husband William III

The Glorious Revolution[a] was the deposition of James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange, who was also James's nephew. The two ruled as joint monarchs of England, Scotland, and Ireland until Mary's death in 1694, when William became ruler in his own right. Jacobitism as a political movement persisted into the late 18th century. William's invasion was the last successful invasion of England.[1]

Despite his own Catholicism, James became king in February 1685 with widespread backing from the Protestant majorities in England and Scotland, as well as largely Catholic Ireland. His policies quickly eroded support, and by June 1688, dissatisfaction turned into active, yet largely unarmed, resistance. The prospect of a Catholic dynasty following the birth of his son James Francis Edward on 10 June led a group of domestic opponents to issue the Invitation to William, seeking Dutch support to remove him.

The Dutch States General and William were concerned that James might support Louis XIV of France in the Nine Years' War. Exploiting unrest in England and claiming to be responding to the invitation, William landed in Devon with an expeditionary force on 5 November 1688. As William advanced on London, James's army disintegrated and he went into exile in France on 23 December. In April 1689, while Dutch troops occupied London, Parliament made William and Mary joint monarchs of England and Ireland. A separate but similar Scottish settlement was made in June.

Domestically, the Revolution confirmed the primacy of Parliament over the Crown in both England and Scotland. In terms of external policy, until his death in 1702, William combined the roles of Dutch stadtholder and British monarch. Both states thus became allies in resisting French expansion, an alliance which persisted for much of the 18th century, despite differing objectives. Under William's leadership, Dutch resources were focused on the land war with France, with the Royal Navy taking the lead at sea. This was a significant factor in the Dutch Republic being overtaken as the leading European maritime power by Britain during the War of the Spanish Succession.


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  1. ^ Dillon 2007, p. 213.