Glorious Revolution 1688/89-1701

Constitutional Settlement

When was the Declaration of Rights presented to William and Mary?

1689

What did the Declaration of Rights involve?

-it stated that there would be clear limitations to Monarchical power

-Laws could not be suspended without parliamentary consent and Parliament had to approve all forms of taxation

When and what was the Declaration of Rights enshrined in Law?

-1689

-It was enshrined in law as the Bill of Rights, considered to be a more watered down version of the original Declaration

What did the Bill of Rights State?

1) Suspending Laws without parliament’s consent it illegal

2)Dispensing Laws without parliament’s consent is illegal

3)Levying Money without parliament’s consent is illegal

4) All commitments and prosecution for petitioning the King is illegal

5) Raising an army in peace time without parliament is illegal

6)Free elections

7) Freedom of speech in parliament should not be impeached or questioned in any place out of parliament

8) No excessive punishment or fines should be imposed

9) Parliament should be held frequently

In what way can the Bill of Rights be described as vague?

• didn’t plan on how to enforce this

• some points, such as free and regular elections didn’t specify how often was regular

• It didn’t state what would happen to the monarch if they didn’t obey the terms

What was the significance of the Bill of Rights?

-Highlighted importance of regular and free elections

-Made certain the legal position of the army

What was the Crown and Recognition Act ?

• it accompanied the Bill of Rights by confirming all the acts of the Convention Parliament

• Act acknowledged William and Mary as sovereigns

• Parliament had been summoned in a legitimate manner and thus the Acts were seen as legal

When were the Mutiny Acts passed?

1689

What were the Mutiny Acts?

• Allowed the crown to hold court martial to punish mutineers

• First Mutiny Act only enforceable for one year

• Parliament renewed the Mutiny Act each year till 1879

Who did the Mutiny Acts benefit?

The Mutiny Acts benefitted both crown and parliament;

-William was able to freely punish those who had mutinied

-Parliament was able to place limits on the Royal prerogative if wished

When was the Act of Settlement?

1701

Why was the Act of Settlement created?

• It was created in order to bypass potential Catholic heirs to the throne

• Succession would be vested in the House of Hanover, a German Royal dynasty

What did the Act of Settlement state?

• Succession would be vested in the House of Hanover, a German royal dynasty

• Catholics and those married to Catholics were barred from the succession

• All future monarchs were required to be members of the Church of England

• Judges could no longer be dismissed without the consent of Parliament

• Royal Pardons to be declared irrelevant in cases of impeachment

• No future monarch allowed to enter England into war in order to defend the monarch’s home

• No foreign- born man was allowed to join the Privy Council, sit in the House of Parliament, have military command or be granted lands or titles

In what way was the Act of Settlement significant?

• It enabled a number of legislative proposals first put forwards in 1689 to finally reach the statute book

• Judges could no longer be dismissed without the consent of Parliament

• Royal Pardons to be declared irrelevant in cases of impeachment

• No future monarch allowed to enter England into war in order to defend the monarch’s home

• No foreign- born man was allowed to join the Privy Council, sit in the House of Parliament, have military command or be granted lands or titles

How far did the Bill of Rights and Act of Settlement confirm the end of divine right monarchy?

• No longer possible for monarchs to claim their power came from God as their authority as approved by the people through their representatives in parliament

The Whig view on the end of Divine Right Monarchy

• The Bill of Rights preserved England’s ancient constitution

• It represented restoration of previous political stability rather than creating an entirely new settlement

• Return to a path of progress

The Marxist view on the end of Divine Right Monarchy

• present idea that new settlement was only created in the interests of existing ruling elites

• not significant of a change

The Revisionist view on the end of Divine Right Monarchy

• Events changed basically nothing but the line of succession

• Constitutional Monarchy was not fully established although concept of Divine Right was fully destroyed

• Parliament remained an advisory body

• Monarch still pre-eminent within the political system

• Parliament represented the richest 2% of the population