Impact of Empire

When did King James II succeed his brother Charles II as king of England?

1685

What was the aim of the Glorious Revolution?

Establish protestant rule by replacing Catholic James with his protestant daughter and husband (Mary and William)

What was the state of the three kingdoms in 1685?

They had the same king but own parliament and were separate

What differences were there between the three kingdoms?

Religious differences
England and Scotland were largely Protestant but in Ireland, the majority were catholic however Irish positions of power were dominated by Protestants

Discrimination in the Three Kingdoms:

All three kingdoms had laws discriminating against Catholics
Catholics weren’t allowed to worship in public, and they couldn’t hold public office

How and why did James try to reduce Discrimination against Catholics?

King James II was a Catholic. He tried to reduce the anti-Catholic discrimination in his kingdoms and promoted Catholics to key military positions
He tried to withdraw Anti-Catholic laws but parliament refused so he tried to weaken them without Parliament’s consent

What was the impact of King James's actions?

His actions were very unpopular.
Anti-Catholic feeling was widespread among Protestants in all three kingdom

Why did Protestants put up with King James and what changed?

Protestants put up with James because they thought that when he died, he would be succeeded by a Protestant.

His daughter Mary, who was married to the Dutch Protestant hero William of Orange was next in line to the throne.

In June 1688, James’s second wife gave birth to a son and he was raised as Catholic and became first in line to the throne

This caused the three kingdoms to face the possibility of long-term Catholic rule

How did William of Orange get involved in the Three Kingdoms?

In 1688, shortly after the birth of James’s son, William of Orange received a letter from a group of seven English politicians, inviting him to invade England and force James to make Mary his successor

What did William of Orange do?

He accepted the invitation and in November, he landed in Devon with a large army.

How was a “Bloodless revolution” achieved?

His arrival sparked widespread riots against King James

As James marched to meet William. many of his troops defected to the Protestant side

James realised that there was no popular support for his Catholic cause and retreated to London without battle and in December, he fled to France

William was free to take over and in February 1689, the English Parliament gave the English crown to William and Mary as joint monarchs

What happened in Ireland in 1688?

Catholic troops took control of some important military positions in Ireland in 1688

Most parts of Ireland were loyal to James but most people in Ulster were Protestants.

Protestants took control of Derry and were under siege there from December 1688

What did James try to do in Ireland and what happened?

In march 1689, James came to Ireland because there was Catholic support for him there

He hoped to use Ireland as a base to win back all three kingdoms

James’s troops began to attack Derry however the siege ended in July when William sent warships from England

What happened in the Battle of the Boyne + the consequences?

1690 - William of Orange came to Ireland to lead the Protestant troops and defeated James’s army in the Battle of the Boyne

The battle destroyed James’s confidence so he abandoned his Irish supporters and fled back to France

What happened to the Jacobites after James left?

This destroyed the morale of the Jacobites so William was able to take Dublin without oppositions

Some Jacobtes continued to fight, and kept control of an area of western Ireland around Limerick

In October 1691, they surrendered and signed the Treaty of Limerick?

What were the terms of the Treaty of Limerick?

The settlement in the Treaty was generous to the Jacobites

Jacobite soldiers weren’t punished, Catholic landowners were allowed to keep their lands, and Catholics were given freedom of worship

Why were the Protestants not satisfied by the Treaty of Limerick?

Protestants saw Jacobites as a threat to their power, and wanted to make sure that Catholics would never be able to attack again

What were the Penal laws?

From 1691 - the Protestant-dominated Irish Parliaments began introducing Penal Laws, which discriminated against Catholics

Catholic Land was confiscated

Catholics were banned from parliament, public office and the army and they couldn’t vote or buy land

Catholic inheritances had to be split between a father’s sons, unless the eldest son converted to Protestantism - then he would inherit everything

Why did the English treat Ireland as a Colony?

After the war, many people saw Ireland as conquered territory so it was treated as a colony not like an equal partner

What did the English Parliament do to Ireland? + Consequences

Imposed restrictions on Irish exports + participation in colonial trade. This damaged the Irish economy and made it dependent on the English economy

What did the English Parliament do to Ireland’s parliament in the 1720s?

They limited the Irish’s Parliament’s independence.

Before they could make their own laws, and had the right to reject laws made in England but now English laws were automatically imposed on Ireland and laws passed in Ireland could be blocked by England

What was the Claim of Right?

1689 - Claim of Right act would give the crown of Scotland to William and Mary
Scottish parliament was dominated by Lowland scots who were protestant

What did the Claim of Right Act allow in Scotland?

Strengthened the powers of the Parliament, giving it the right to dismiss the monarch and make laws without royal consent

Weakened English control over Scottish affairs

Allowed Parliament to replaced Episcopalian Church with the Presbyterian church as the national church - emphasised Scotland’s religious independence

Why was there support for James in the Scottish Highlands?

Long-standing rivalry with the Lowlanders
Highlanders were Catholic and others were Epsicopalians who didn’t like the new Presbyterian Church

What did John Graham of Claverhouse do when Jame’s arrived in Ireland?

He was encouraged and so he rallied an army of Jacobites among the Highland Clans

What happened in the Battle of Killiecrankie?

1689 - Jacobites won over William’s supporters however Claverhouse was killed and without his leadership, the Jacobite army began to fall apart

Describe the causes and the outcome of the Massacre of Glencoe

The MacDonalds of Glencoe were a few days late swearing an oath of allegiance due to bad weather.

Secretary of State John Dalrymple decided to punish them.

The Campbell family (their enemies) stayed with them and then killed them. 38 men were murdered; 40 women and children died from exposure.

It poisoned relations between clans and the English government, driving more support to the Jacobites.

Why did the Scot’s need the Darien Scheme?

Scotland’s economy was in crisis during get the 1690s

What was the Darien Scheme and why was it a disaster for Scotland?

Aimed to set up a Scottish trading colony in Panama to revive the economy through international trade

Was a complete disaster. colonists suffered disease, starvation, and attacks by the Spanish

More than 2000 died; Scotland lost at least 25% of its financial resources

Why did the Scots blame England for the failure of the Darien Scheme?

East India Company opposed it to protect their monopoly and prevent any English investment

King William refused to support to protect England’s alliance with Spain and banned all English ships from trading with the colony

Scots felt betrayed, ruining hopes of becoming an independent colonial power

How did the Act of Settlement 1701 lead to the Act of Union

The English parliament chose Sophia of Hanover (a protestant) as heir to avoid a Catholic monarch

The independent Scottish parliament threatened to reject the succession and choose their own monarch (possibly the catholic ‘old pretender’)

England threatened to ban trade and free movement unless Scotland negotiated for a full political union its L

List the key terms of the Act of Union that created Great Britain

1707

Scottish Parliament ceased to exist; a new Parliament of Great Britain sat at Westminster

Free trade was established so Scots could join colonial trade

Scotland was promised the ‘Equivalent’ - large sum of money

Presbyterian church, Scottish education, and legal systems were protected

Why did Scots become disillusioned with the union?

There was English dominance - fewer MPs meant England could pass laws Scots disagreed with

Parliament enforced changes that undermined cultural protection promises

Taxes went up and the textile industry struggled with English competition

It took many years for England to pay the Equivalent

What led to the Jacobite rebellion in 1715?

It was caused by the Death of Queen Anne and the crowning of George I (Sophia of Hanover’s son)

Those who opposed the Hanover succession and were unhappy with the Act of Union started to support the Jacobites

Who led the Jacobite Rebellion and why did it fail?

Earl of Mar declared the ‘Old Pretender’ King; and took control of Highlands

Mar made mistakes and was ineffective; failure in the Lowlands

‘Old pretender" arrived too late and was weak and sickly - They both fled to France

Who Emigrated from the Americas and what was an indentured servant?

Educated Scots (doctors and teachers) and merchants who were able to trade freely with British colonies (e.g. tobacco trade) emigrated from the Americas

Indentured Servants signed a contract to work 4 - 7 years - employers paid for their journey, provided food, clothes, and housing

Scots and Irish moved to England because of its stronger economy, more jobs, and higher wages

What were the ‘seven ill years’ and the effect of the Penal Laws?

1690s - Failed harvests and famine forced thousands to move to Ulster or the Americas

In Ireland - rising rents, famine, and livestock disease led to emigration of UlsterScots to the Americas

Inheritance rules divided Catholic farms into plots too small to survive on, forcing Catholics to leave

What was a transportation and why did it become common?

Instead of being executed or imprisoned, some criminals were forced to stay in a colony for 7 or 14 years.

Most stayed because they couldn’t afford the journey back

It became more common after the Transportation Act (1711) and used as a punishment for Scots after the Jacobite Rebellion

How did International trade change between 1688 and 1730?

1688 - the main export was wooden cloth sold to Europe. As colonies in Americas grew, Britain began exporting more manufactured goods to them

Imports of tobacco, sugar, tea, cotton textiles, silk, and porcelain for the Americas and Asia increased. Many were re-exported to Europe

By 1730, Britain as the centre of a worldwide commercial network

Growth led to new financial institutions, which helped make trade easier and more profitable

How did the Nine Years’ War encourage financial innovation?

Broke out between France and countries led by William of Orange - he brought Britain into the war in 1689

Fought on a larger scale than previous conflicts therefore required large number of troops + investment - very expensive so the King needed to find new sources of income

William signed the bill of rights, which limited his power and made it harder to raise taxes forcing him to find new ways to raise money

Why was the Bank of England set up and how did it function?

Set up to provide the government with a £1.2 million loan to pay the army and expand the navy.

It was a joint-stock company. Investors lent money to the government in exchange for interest.

Investors didn't expect repayment; they were happy to earn interest or could sell their share of the debt to others.

The Bank received privileges, such as being the only company allowed to issue official banknotes.

Made it easier to fund expensive projects like war

How did Colonial Demand encourage the growth of British Manufacturing?

Growing colonies needed products like clothes, shoes, furniture, building supplies, and kitchenware, mostly supplied by exports from Britain

Traditionally the main manufacture was wooden cloth, but the country began making a growing variety of products for export

This marked a shift from an agricultural economy to a industrialised one

Which crops fuelled Britain’s economic development in north America and the Caribbean?

Sugar was grown in the Caribbean - tobacco and rice were produced in North America

By the late 17th century, demand for tobacco and sugar was growing quickly in Britain and Europe

Britain began to import increasing amounts of these crops, which encouraged Britain’s economic development

What were the Navigation Acts and how did they protect colonial trade?

A string of Acts passed form 16551 to protect British trade from forge in (especially Dutch) competition

British merchants had a monopoly on exports to colonies

Colonies could only import goods produced in Britain or shipped for a British port in a British ship

The most valuable colonial products could only exported to Britain or other British colonies

This prevented foreign merchants from trading directly with colonies and allowed all colonial exports to be taxed

How did the Royal African Company’s status change in 1698?

Founded in 1660, it initial had a monopoly on African trade (the only British company allowed in the region)

Founded in 1660, it had a monopoly on African trade

It transported up to 100,000 slaved in the Americas by 1698

In 1698, the government lifted the monopoly, allowing other British companies to enter the slave trade, leading to a big increase in the number of African slaves transported

Describe the three stages of the Triangular trade?

Manufactured good were exported from Britain to Africa and exchanged for slaves

Slaves were transported across the the Atlantic to the Americas

Tobacco and sugar were sent back to Britain from plantations in the Caribbean and Virginia

Why did the demand for slave labour increase between 1688 and 1730?

For most of the 17th century, indentured servants were the main source of labour

between 1688 and 1730, numbers fell because improvements in the English economy meant people could find work in England

By the 1720s, African slaves had overtaken indentured servants as the main source of labour in Virginia

What was the ‘Sugar Revolution’ and how did the affect plantation life?

In the late 17th century, Caribbean colonies found it more profitable to focus only on sugar

Wealthy landowners set up huge sugar farms called plantations, which were very labour intensive

Conditions were terrible and life expectancy was very low, keeping the demand for new slaves high as owners constantly had to replace those who died

Merchants like Sir Gilbert Heathcote became extremely rich, using slave-trade fortunes to buy grand houses like Normanton Hall

How vital was slavery to the 18th-century Britain?

Slavery became vital to the British economy

Slave labour was ventral to the expansion of American sugar and tobacco production

The triangular trade became a key part of Britain’s international commercial network

Why did Britain go to war over the Spanish Succession in 1702?

In 1700, Philip of Anjou (French) became King of Spain

Britain feared a union of the French and Spanish crowns, which would destroy the balance of power and create the most powerful force in Europe

France gained influence over Spain’s international empire, threatening Britain’s growing trade

In 1702, Britain and Allies went to war with France and Spain

What were the three main benefits Britain received from the treaty of Utrecht?

Philip of Anjou remained King, but French and Spanish crowns were forbidden to unite

Britain received the Mediterranean islands of Gibraltar and Minorca, plus new territory in the Americas

Britain was given a thirty-year monopoly on the slave trade with Spanish colonies in South America

What was the South Sea company and how did the Bubble start?

The South Sea Company was a joint-stock company set up in 1711 to trade with South America

In 1713 - it received the slave-trading monopoly from the Treaty of Utrecht

In 1720 - directors spread false rumours to encourage investment; share prices rose from 128 to 550 pounds

What was the bubble Act and what happened during the crash of September 1720?

The government passes the Bubble Act to protect the company from competition - shares reached 1050 pounds

in 1720, people realised shares were overpriced and began to sell

In September, shares were only worth 175 pounds

Many people were financially ruined; the “bubble’ lost huge sums of money

How did the East India Company’s role in India change after the Glorious revolution, and what was the ‘deal’ with the Dutch?

EIC faced heavy competition from the Dutch/Portuguese for most of 17th century with only a minor part in trade

Post-1688, they operated more freely by agreeing that the English would focus on cotton textiles while the Dutch concentrated on spices

Demand grew rapidly in Britain, Europe, and Americas - Successful

The War of the Spanish Succession weakened the Dutch, making it easier for the English to expand

What were ‘factories’ and where the major east India company posts located?

Trading posts on the Indian coast run by a British agent who traded with Indian merchants

Major factories were in Mumbai, and Chennai

Many agents made huge fortunes by secretly setting up their own deals

Describe the conflict and the eventual establishment of the Kolkata trading post

In the 1680s, a dispute over trading rights led to war with the Mughal emperor

In 1690 - the emperor allowed a new post at Kolkata, a prime location for the textile trade

By 1712, the company build a large, fortified factory called Fort William, which became modern Kolkata

In 1716, the Mughal emperor granted the right to trade throughout his empire, not just at existing posts

How did the trade for Chinese Tea develop and impact the British economy?

Direct trade began in 1680s; popularity surged in 1690s

Tea was highly taxed by the government, making it a valuable resource of income

Since people drank sweetened tea, it directly drove the rising demand for sugar

How did Foreign good transition from luxuries to everyday necessities towards the end of the 17th century?

There was a growing market for non-essential goods and luxuries

Goods became more diverse and developed quickly due to wider availability and public demand

Imported sugar from American plantations became a staple household item

The elite and middle class bought Chinese porcelain and glassware to show wealth and status

Imported fabric prints and cotton cloths became desirable fashion items due to exotic origins and unique patterns

How did the emergence of consumerism stimulate Britain’s economy?

High demand for porcelain and textiles encouraged British manufacturers to produce cheaper versions of popular imports.

Warehouses were established in London in the 1730s to sell clothing in large quantities at low prices.

Advertising became widespread and by 1730s, daily newspapers devoted half their space to adverts

What were the new production centres?

Staffordshire became an important producer of ceramics

Sheffield became known for silver-plated products like candlesticks and tea sets

Axminster entered the textile trade by making luxury carpets

What political and social problems emerged as a result of growing consumerism?

People worried Britain was too reliant on other countries for goods especially luxuries like sugar became seen as necessities

High taxes on imports like tea and tobacco hit low-income families especially as the government taxed essentials like soap

Some believed buying for leisure and status was immoral

Increased demand for foreign goods encouraged the slave trade, which caused anti-slavery movements to grow

Why was the British government reluctant to reduce foreign imports despite political worries?

National debt had risen

Taxes paid on foreign imports were a valuable source of income for the government to manage this debt

Because foreign imports were so profitable, the government chose not reduce them

How did London’s role in the slave trade change between the 17th and 18th centuries?

London was the main slave port in the 17th century because it was home to the Royal African company

It had strong trade link with Europe which allowed goods from American plantations to be easily re-exported

After the monopoly ended, London became more of a financial centre for the trade

Merchants needed loans and insurance for long voyages - Barclays Bank was founded in 1690 and lloyds of London became centre for insurance

Why did Bristol and Liverpool overtake London as the country’s main slave ports by the 1730s?

Both had existing trade routes with the Americas and West Africa

Liverpool had access to coal and salt and developed glassware and brass industries

Shipbuilding boomed, employing skilled labourers like carpenters and chain-makers

New industries like sugar refineries and tobacco favourites were build to process raw imports

Slavery was a part of daily life - those involved were often highly respected and well-liked in their communities

How did smaller ports in Britain and Ireland participate in the slave trade network?

Cities like Exeter, Dartmouth and Portsmouth launched voyages but lacked the trade links to compete with Bristol or Liverpool

Smaller ports exported goods to feed or supply colonies, such as dried fish from Bridgewater or glass and seeds from Newcastle

Glasgow developed an industry specifically to process tobacco imported from slave plantations

How did Britain’s involvement in the slave trade shape ideas about race and a racial hierarchy?

The primary motivation for the slave trade was economic

To justify the trade, African slaves were treated as objects to be owned, bought, and sold

Scientists in the 17th century attempted to explain racial differences with theories claiming white Europeans were genetically and biologically superior

These false ideas helped make slavery seem “acceptable” to the public

Describe the status and treatment of the black population living within Britain during the 17h and 18th centuries

A small population lived in Britain - they were generally accepted, attended church, and were free to earn their own living

As the slave trade grew, wealthy aristocratic families employed black servants as symbols of wealth and prestige

These servants were often dressed in exotic clothing and treated as “decorations”

While not publicly bought and sold in Britain, they were still denied many rights and freedoms

In what ways did enslaved people resists and disrupt plantation life?

Slaves would practice economic sabotage, such as damaging machinery or working deliberately slowly

They kept their languages and music in secret to maintain their identity

Large-scale, violent rebellions occurred, such as the 28 rebellions in Jamaica

Slaves would flee to form free communities (like the ‘Maroons’ in Jamaica)

Who were the early organised opponents of slavery in the late 17th and early 18th centuries?

In 1688, Four quakers in Pennsylvania signed the Germantown Quaker Petition Against Slavery, the first written protest in the colonies

The petition spread the idea that slaves had a right to freedom

1761 - Quakers banned members from owning slaves

James Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia in 1730s and banned slavery because he believed it was immoral

Why did politics begin to matter more to “ordinary” people in the 18th century?

The number of rich farmers and skilled tradesmen was growing, the government had to pay more attention to their views on taxations

National policies on imports/exports affected people directly

Triennial Act 1694 - Required general elections at least once every three years, giving voters more frequent opportunities to express views

How did Coffee houses contribute to the rise of political ideas and public debate?

They provided a public space where ordinary people could discuss politics, science and literature

Places like Lloyd’s coffee house were used by insurers and merchants to gather the latest news on shipping

The availability of newspapers in coffee houses encouraged political debate

By 1750s, people were using these spaces to openly criticise the government