95452

The Glorious Revolution in England

-    The Glorious Revolution ('glorious' because it was bloodless) followed, in which Prince William of Orange, ruler of the Netherlands, and his Stuart wife Mary, accepted Parliament's invitation to become king and queen. In this way it was established that the monarch could rule only with the support of Parliament. Parliament immediately drew up a Bill if Rights, which limited some of the powers of the monarch (notably, the power to dismiss judges). It also allowed Dissenters (those who did not agree with the practices of Anglicanism) to practice their religion freely. This meant that the Presbyterian Church, to which the majority of the lowland Scottish belonged, was guaranteed its legality. However, Dissenters were not allowed to hołd government posts or be Members of parliament. -Presbyterian - a member of a Protestant church governed by a body ofofficial people all ofequal rank and foliowing the principles ofCalvinlsm including severe rules of behavior and morals. John Knox established Presbyterianism in Scotland where it has had a great influence on society and there are also Presbyterian churches in other parts of the UK and the US and other countries.

-    James II, meanwhile, had flied to Ireland. But the Catholic Irish army he gathered there was defeated. Laws were then passed forbidding Catholics to vote or even own land. In Ulster, in the north of the country, large numbers of fiercely anti-catholic Scottish Presbyterians settled (in possession of all the land). The descendants of these people are still known today as Orangemen (after their patron William of Orange). They form one half of the tragic spilt of society in modern Northern Ireland, the other half being the 'native' Irish Catholics.