The Glourious Revolution
Avery Lewis
What was the Glorious Revolution?
The Glorious Revolution (1689) was a time in England when there was a nonviolent transformation form an absolute monarchy to a joint monarchy. There was also multiple back and forth changes in the official religion of England from Protestantism to Catholicism. Many events happened hundreds of years prior to the Glorious Revolution that lead up to cause the eventual revolution.
Who was apart of the Glourious Revolution?
King Henry VIII (1491-1547)
Henry came to power in 1509 and changed the official religion in England from Catholicism to Protestantism. He wanted to divorce his wife for not being able to provide him a male heir to the throne but the pope would not allow it. This lead to Henry making himself the head of the church which allowed him to make the official change to Protestantism.
Mary (1516-1558)
Mary was the daughter of Henry VIII and took over after her fathers reign was over. She wanted to make a England a Catholic state once again and went to very extreme and violent measures to try to put her desire into effect. This caused her to gain the nickname "Bloody Mary", and her reign soon ended.
Elizabeth I (1533-1603)
Elizabeth took over as ruler after Mary's reign was over. She was able to bring England back to being a Protestant state in much more civil way than England's prior ruler did.
Charles I (1600-1649)
Charles I brought the idea absolutism back to England. While he was ruling, he began to ignore parliament in order to make himself in complete control over England with no hindrances. This is what eventually caused the English Civil War.
Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658)
Oliver was the leader of the English Civil War and took over after Charles I was dethroned. He did not want to be called King though, instead he was referred to as "Lord Protector". Eventually he began to show signs of greed and being power thirsty like Charles I was. He was removed from being England's ruler before he could bring back absolutism.
James II (1633-1701)
James II was the successor of Oliver Cromwell. Once he took the position he began ignoring parliament and eventually made England a state of absolutism once again. He quickly fled to France so he would not be punished for his acts as ruler that angered many citizens of England.
William of Orange (1650-1702)
William of Orange was invited into England after the reign of James II with his wife, Mary II. They were invited to the country for the purposes of being the successors of James II because people were sure they would not attempt to ignore parliament and make England a state of absolutism.
Mary II (1662-1694)
Mary II was the wife of William of Orange when they were invited to rule in England after the reign of James II to ensure the people of England that they would rule them fairly.
Co-Rulers
William of Orange and Mary II became the first join-rulers in England when they were both invited and crowned to rule after the reign of James II. This is what began a Parliamentary Democracy in England rather than an Absolute Monarchy.
Did the Glorious Revolution have an impact anywhere else in the world besides England?
The Glorious Revolution made major impacts on other places in the world, even on other continents. Soon after the Glorious Revolution, there was the beginning of the American Revolution and the creation of the Bill of Rights. The Americans felt that if the citizens of England could stand up against their monarch then they should be able to do so as well.