The Glorious Revolution
By Ryan Smith
Background Information
The Glorious Revolution was when the Parliament overthrew James II with the help of William and Mary of Orange in 1688 and 1689. The reason for the unrest leading up to the rebellion by the Parliament was because of James religious tolerance and his closely held ties with France. Another reason was due to the fact that his son would become the future king, and the Parliament could not deal with the potential religious policies that he would impose. After the war, which wasn't a real war besides some minor battles, Mary didn't want to have complete rule without her husband ruling with her, so they became England's first joint kings.
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was the leader of the Parliament when the first overthrew the Kings because of the limitation of the Parliaments power over them. He won the war and was pronounced the new "lord protector" of England. He continued to be a good lord to the empire until his death, in which he gave control of the empire to his son, Richard. Richard who was unfit for rule then gave previously empowered Charles II, who was ruling over Hungary, the role of king in England.
Charles II
He was given power by Richard Cromwell and Parliament to return from Hungary. He restored some political tolerances, like the limitations of the monarchy's power and more individual rights. As time went on, he became corrupted with power and started making deals without the Parliament's permission. The Parliament contemplated over the fact that they should assassinate Charles in favor of James so that they could retain some of their power. He even managed to dissolve Parliament with the help of the French government's pocket book. When he died, James took the throne as king.
James II
When taking the throne, the public was already skeptical due to his recently changed faith towards Catholicism. After taking the throne, he promised to defend the rights of the church and current government of the time. After squashing a few rebel armies left behind from his processor Charles, James tried to help Catholics to run for a parliamentary spot. After a few policies being abolished later on, he took his power and destroyed the Parliament again. After "destruction" of the Parliament, the Parliament invited William and Mary of Orange, the real successors of Charles, to come and take back power.
William and Mary
They were the rulers of Orange who were invited by Parliament to come and help retake the power from James II so that his son would not become king. They were rewarded for their help by being named joint kings because Mary did not want to be named the sole queen over England with her husband as her consort, so the Parliament allowed them to be the first joint kings in England.
Affecting the Rest of the World
The revolution caused the Parliament to loosen their control over the colonies and allow them to do more or less as they wished. Thus allowing for freedom of speech, religion, etc. and further helping the colonies to rebel and become their own official nations.
(This is what could have happened if the Parliament and the Kings had nuclear weapons during the time.)