The Glorious Revolution Free Essays

Francisco Saravia-Jimenez2012-11-HIS-101-OL011: Western Civilization I What did the â€Å"Glorious Revolution† that took place in England in 1688 achieve, and why is it referred to as â€Å"glorious†? The Glorious Revolution of 1688 involved the overthrow of King James II from the throne of England. James, throughout his short reign, attempted to catholicize the army and government by getting his supporters into Parliament. When James had a son, England united against the prospect of a Catholic dynasty and sought help from William of Orange. We will write a custom essay sample on The Glorious Revolution or any similar topic only for you Order Now William arrived in England in November of 1688 and marched unopposed all the way to London. James fled to France and after he was denounced by Parliament, William of Orange was offered the throne if he would accept limitations on his powers. He accepted. One of the most amazing things about the Glorious Revolution was the ability  of political opposition, such as the Tories and the Whigs, to come together under a common cause. Such widespread unity throughout a nation had never been seen and it set the table for a peaceful takeover of a dictator. There were many achievements in the Glorious Revolution. Firstly, as previously mentioned, it was one of the first times an overthrow of a government required no blood to be shed. Also, it helped to issue in the Bill of Rights, which redefined the relationship between the monarch and the subjects. The Bill of Rights is one of the most important documents in history. It guaranteed the freedom of speech, the freedom of elections, parliamentary approval of taxation and the right to petition. Additionally it dismissed cruel and unusual punishment, standing armies and the monarch’s ability to suspend law whenever he or she pleased. It also stated that no Catholic could succeed to the throne of England, thus eliminating the possibility of a Roman Catholic dynasty. The Claim of Right was issued in Scotland in 1689 and was basically the same document as the Bill of Rights. The Mutiny Act, which limited royal use of martial law to one year, was also put in place in 1689. The Toleration Act was issued as well, and it gave freedom of worship to Dissenters. Overall, the Glorious Revolution was significant in many ways. It established  one of the first  Constitutional Monarchies by extending the power of the Parliament. In doing so, the power of the monarchy was severely limited. It marked a milestone, in which practical power shifted from the monarchy to the Parliament. That power that the Parliament had gained from the Glorious Revolution was never successfully challenged again. How to cite The Glorious Revolution, Essay examples The Glorious Revolution Free Essays The Glorious Revolution has many significant factors, and events, but there we’re three main ones that stood out more than the other ones. The three events or factors were The Test Act, William and Mary, and James II .In this essay I will go more in depth into the three significant factors or events. We will write a custom essay sample on The Glorious Revolution or any similar topic only for you Order Now One of the factors is The Test Act. The Test Act is a law that was passed by Parliament that made it to where it was required an oath of protest loyalists to prevent Catholics from holding public office. Parliament thought of this law because Cromwell was able to just take it away because he was a military leader. So they didn’t want the kings to be able to just come in and get rid of them again like Cromwell did. Another event that happened is bringing in William and Mary. The Tories and the Whigs invited them to come overthrow James II. They felt as that they needed a protestant as a king and because they didn’t feel that James II was doing what he should do as king. William and Marry brought 14,000 soldiers because they thought that they would have to get into a war to get James II out of the office. They also wanted to keep the Church of England for their Protestantism. The last factor was James II. He was a factor of the Glorious Revolution because he was catholic and Parliament wanted and Protestant king because a catholic was trying to get rid of all the things Protestantism has done. So they plan to overthrow James II with Protestants. He also tried to make England back catholic and he passed laws that go against the Parliament. So parliament decided to get rid of James II. In conclusion the Glorious Revolution has many different factors and events. In this essay I told you all the most significant three that I think is the most important. The Test Act, William and Mary, James II. This is my essay on the Glorious Revolution. How to cite The Glorious Revolution, Papers