James II ruled for three years, after which he was forced to flee England. As a result of all the work he did under the home policy during his three-year short reign, a glorious revolution was born in England. Not even a single drop of blood fell on the earth in this revolution, that is why it is called glorious revolution or bloodless revolution. The following were the reasons for the Glorious Revolution:
1. Conflict between the king and the parliament
The Tudor rulers had become autocratic after Henry VII destroyed the power of the feudal lords. The middle class was encouraged by the Tudor rulers. And this class had received higher education. Due to the renaissance and religious reform movements that took place during this period, the middle class became very aware of their rights. In 1603, the Stuart dynasty was established in England. James I tried to impose his divine rights on the public, but the public opposed it, as a result of which the struggle between the king and the parliament started in England. In the time of James II, the struggle between the King and the Parliament became intense and it ended in the form of Glorious Revolution.
2. The despotism of James II
James II tried to rule autocratically from the beginning. He wanted to create fear and terror in the public with his tyrannical and autocratic policy, so that he could rule arbitrarily. James II was Catholic and most of the people of England were Protestant. James wanted to propagate Catholicism in England, for this purpose James built a new church in London, which was strongly opposed by the public. James took the opportunity to increase his army, so that he could terrorize the people. The public did not want the establishment of military rule again in England, so it was natural for the people to oppose the autocratic policy of James.
3.Bloody Assizes
The whigs party was opposed to the accession of James II to the throne in England. The whigs leaders inspired Charles' illegitimate son Monmouth to rebel. Monmath gathered the army and declared himself the successor of England. James II defeated and imprisoned Monmath at a place called Sagemoor. The rebels were treated inhumanely and Monmath was given the death penalty. This court was called Bloody Assizes and the public became disgusted with the tyrannical and harsh policy of James II.
4. Violation of Test Rule
In England, at the time of Charles II, the Parliament had passed the Test Act. By this act only followers of the Anglican Church could be government servants. Hence Catholics were barred from government service. James II himself was a Catholic. So wanted to provide facilities to the Catholics but due to the Test Act, he could not fulfill his wishes. The Parliament of England opposed these actions of James. James did not care about the opposition of the Parliament, so the feeling of rebellion started awakening in the public.
5. Interference in Universities
James also began appointing Catholics to the universities. A Catholic man was appointed to the post of dean in Christ Church College and all the teachers of the Macdalen School were removed because they refused to make a Catholic person their president despite James's wish. In this way, James II tried to establish the supremacy of Catholics on education, which posed a threat to the Protestant community, so it became necessary for the Protestant community to oppose James.
6. Friendship with France
The influence of Louis, the ruler of France, was overshadowed in Europe at this time. Like Charles II, James II was greatly influenced by Louis XIV. He wanted to establish his autocratic rule in England by getting financial and military help from France. Louis the Fourteenth was a staunch Catholic and persecuted the Protestant class in France, so the people of England did not like Louis the Fourteenth and expected James not to befriend France.
7. Declarations of Indulgence
James II was completely Catholic and wanted to make England a Catholic country. To fulfill this purpose, he disregarded the Test Act and appointed Catholics to all high state posts. James subsequently made the first declaration of Indulgence in 1687 AD by which the restrictions imposed on Catholics and other sects were abolished. It was not long after the first declaration of indulgence that in 1688 he made his second declaration of religious grace. Through this declaration, complete freedom was given to all religions and James II gave the facility to provide state position to everyone without any discrimination of class and religion. Protestants were very angry with this work of James and the spirit of revolution started to prevail in them.
8. James' failure to understand the power of the people
James had the illusion that he could rule arbitrarily by intimidating the people with force. James II should have taken a lesson from history and should not have forgotten how the people demonstrated their power against Charles I and Charles I received the death penalty. It was necessary for James to test the sentiment of the people and rule like Charles II, but he acted against the will of the people and he failed to understand the power of the people.
9. Birth of James II's son
James had two daughters from his first wife—Mary and Ann. Both of them were Protestants. Therefore, the public thought that after the death of James II, Mary would become the queen, so the Protestant community would be able to get facilities, but on June 10, 1588, James II's second wife Modena gave birth to a son. James's son's birth proved to be a terrible fate for him, as the populace believed that James would give his son a Catholic education, so they would never be free from the tyranny of the Catholic kings. The public now thought it necessary to revolutionize against James II.
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