Analyze the transformation of England into a constitutional monarchy. Why was this transformation called the Glorious Revolution?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

After the ravages of civil war under Charles I and the chaos of Cromwell's dictatorship, the Glorious Revolution was a welcome return to stability for England, despite Charles II's tendencies toward absolutism as well as his pro-Catholic sentiments. However, after fifteen years of Charles II's pleasure-seeking lifestyle, which offended the conservative Parliament, each side continued to assert their own authority but neither could concentrate power. This contrasted with the growing trend of centralization in the rest of Europe. Charles also allied with France, which was an unpopular move with the English, because he and Louis XIV sought to sideline the Dutch. When Charles died in 1685 with seventeen illegitimate children but no legitimate heir, he passed the throne to his brother, James II, who was openly Catholic. This alienated Parliament, which was predominantly Anglican but also contained some conservative Protestants, and divided the political parties known as Whigs and Tories. The Whigs demanded a Protestant king by any means, whereas the Tories supported James II as the hereditary right of kingship (and sought to avoid a return to the chaos of civil war). James II eventually won out and was grudgingly accepted because his first two children (each daughters) from his first marriage were Protestant, and all of the children of his second marriage, who were Catholic, died in infancy. However, in 1688, his wife gave birth to a son, who would putatively rule as James III. In the three years since his assumption of the throne, James II had pursued an actively Catholic agenda and had kept Anglicans from high offices and positions. The Whigs and Tories asked the husband of James's daughter, Mary, the Dutch stadtholder Prince William, to come to England. A brief war ensued and William and the Protestant factions won, forcing James II to abdicate; William and Mary took the throne in 1688 . In 1689, William signed a Bill of Rights with Parliament that made England a constitutional monarchy.