the significance of revolutionary ideals in the establishment of a constitutional monarchy

what was the convention parliament?

* December 1688 - James II fled the country to take refuge with Louis XIV in France due to overwhelming opposition.
* a group of around 60 lords and 300 former MPs (Whigs and Tories) asked William of Orange to take over the govt.
* 22 Jan 1689 - the Convention Parliament met to decide how to deal with James’ fight - political opinion was deeply divided

the whigs

* political theorists had developed revolutionary ideas on the nature of kingship - claimed that a contract existed between the King and his people which both sides had to uphold.
* they asserted that James had broken his contract and had exceeded his powers by attempting to establish Catholicism in England.
* James’ actions meant that he had lost the right to rule as King and therefore the throne was vacant

the tories

* diametrically opposed to the whigs
* believed in hereditary succession, and in DROK
* tories had sworn an oath of allegiance to James, and felt they could not break their oath as long as the King lived.
* they needed justification for for the replacement of James by William of Orange

what did the resolution formulated by the Convention Parliament say:

* James had broken the contract between king and people (whig)
* he had violated the country’s fundamental laws (whig)
* his flight meant that he had abdicated the throne (tory)

what was the response to the resolution

* it satisfied most Whigs and Tories
* tories in the HoL objected to this statement leading to anti-Tory crowds demonstrating outside parl.

what did William and the political elite agree?

* 3 Feb 1689 - William had a secret meeting with peers where he warned them that unless he were made King he would go back to Holland
* his wife, Mary, would share the title of monarch with William, although would hold no power
* if Mary died and William married again, any children from the second marriage would follow Anne (Mary’s sister) in the line of succession
* this was accepted by Lords and Commons on the 6th February and the throne was offered to William and Mary unconditionally

what was the declaration of rights 1689?

* listed all the errors which James had committed, and asserted several traditional liberties of the people
* these included:
* laws could not be suspended without parliamentary consent
* parliament had to approve all forms of taxation
* parliaments should meet frequently
* a diluted version of this was passed in law in 1689 as the Bill of Rights

what did the declaration of rights mean for Will and Mary?

* it was a compromise document that was deliberately ambiguous in terms of the constitutional implications of James’ removal
* there was no statement that James had been resisted, deposed or that he had broken a contract.
* William and Mar were not referred to as ‘rightful’ or ‘lawful’ heirs - they were de facto monarchs without denying that James was the de jure king.

William and Mary’s coronation

* 13th Feb 1689 - formal ceremony where the Declaration of Rights was read the crown was offered to William and Mary
* 11th April - W&M coronation - there was a different coronation oath from that sworn by previous monarchs, indicating their different position and that of parliament

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