The Glorious Revolution (1688)

King James II was a Catholic in a Protestant country, and his attempts to promote Catholic interests alarmed both Parliament and the Church of England. When his wife gave birth to a son in 1688 — threatening a Catholic succession — leading politicians and nobles invited William of Orange, the Protestant ruler of the Netherlands and husband of James's daughter Mary, to invade England.

William landed with a Dutch army, and James II — faced with widespread defections — fled to France. Because no significant battle was fought, the event became known as the "Glorious Revolution."

Following the revolution, William III and Mary II were crowned as joint monarchs. In 1689 Parliament passed the Bill of Rights, which confirmed and extended parliamentary power over the monarch. It established that the monarch could not raise taxes or maintain an army without Parliament's consent, and that elections to Parliament must be free.

The Bill of Rights also guaranteed certain liberties for citizens, including freedom from cruel and unusual punishment and the right to petition the monarch. It remains a cornerstone of the British constitution.

The Glorious Revolution and the Bill of Rights together established the constitutional monarchy in Britain. Power shifted decisively from the Crown to Parliament, laying the foundation for modern British democracy. The monarch would reign but Parliament would govern. This settlement — with modifications — continues to define the British constitution today.