|
On 6 February 1685, Charles II died and his brother James II was
proclaimed King of England. James II became obsessed with the idea
of a Roman Catholic England, having at first gained the Parliament,
he brought it to heel and greatly increased the powers of the
Monarchy. His naiveté of the true feelings of the English people
against Catholicism were to bring him down just as quickly as he had
risen to power. Recent history had taught the English people of the
impieties and superstitions of
Catholicism and of the persecution of Protestants during the reign
of 'Bloody' Mary. Charles I's link with Catholicism precipitated
the English Civil War and Louis XIV's intensive persecution of his
Protestant subjects reminded English people of the dangers of
allowing Catholicism its head. So by his own stupidity, James
rendered unusable the most compliant Parliament of the century. He
could not repeal the Penal Laws of the Test Act without them and
they were not prepared to do so.
In 1687, James suspended the Penal Laws and Test Act pending their
repeal by Parliament. This was intended to encourage conversions to
the Catholic faith and to win over dissenters, without whom the
repeal could not be achieved. His main ambition was, by hook or by
crook, to secure a Parliament that would do as he wished. He now
used the powers that the Crown had over Parliament to get rid of the
Tories who had been installed from 1681-1685 and to replace them
with dissenters. James mounted an intensive campaign to achieve his
aim and when this failed, he resorted to trickery and intimidation.
He was far more reckless and radical than Charles I in his attempts
to secure Absolutism and Catholicism. This obsession with
Catholicism could only mean one thing - he was about to alter the
Succession in favor of a Catholic. Since all else was aimed at
putting Catholics into privileged positions, why not achieve the
ultimate?
James kept up a barrage of correspondence with William and Mary
attempting to win them over to his aims of repeal, and in September
1686, he urged William to invade England at once stating that there
would be no opposition. William replied that he would be prepared
to act only if James tried to alter the Succession or if he
threatened the nation's religion.
Late in 1687, Mary of Modena - James's wife - announced that she was
pregnant. Catholic courtiers were jubilant but Protestants were
extremely alarmed because if a son were born, he would be raised a
Catholic and a Catholic dynasty would ensue. The Catholic
confidence that a son was to be born led Protestants to believe that
even if no son were born the priests would produce a baby boy and
pass him off as James's son.
At the end of April 1688 William decided to invade, precipitated by
his concern for James's campaign to fill Parliament, an action which
William believed might have caused Civil War in England.
On 10 June 1688 Mary of Modena gave birth to a son. This child was
felt to be spurious by both Mary and Anne - the boy's stepsisters
and will always be known as the Pretender. Around this time James
had seven Anglican Bishops put into jail and on June 30 had them
tried for seditious libel. However, they were acquitted that same
evening. William was asked to deliver England from the tyranny of
James II but he demanded an invitation before he would help. The
famous Edward Russel showed
Prince William that it would be dangerous to entrust the secrets of
this invitation to many people. William agreed and said he desired
only the signatures of a few influential and representative men. A
paper was drawn up and signed in cypher by seven important men -
'the immortal seven', as they have been called. The men were Lords
Shrewsbury, Devonshire, Dunby, Lumley, Compton (Bishop of London),
Edward Russel and Henry Sidney.
The famous paper, which was in the handwriting of Henry Sidney,
formally invited the Prince to England, with as little delay as
possible. If he would appear at the head of some troops, tens of
thousands would flock to his banner. They pledged their life and
honor that they would join him.
William's invasion was a mixture of good luck and brilliant
strategy. It was not the done thing to sail with an army at the
start of winter. At the end of September, James realized the danger
and hurriedly revised his Catholicising program and abandoned his
campaign to fill Parliament. It was too little, too late. The
Protestant Armada set sail on 20 October 1688 but a violent storm
forced him back into port until November 1st , when a favorable wind
allowed him to make a second venture. The contrary wind had been
noted with anxiety in England, when the Dutch deliverer was
impatiently expected. "Crowds stood in Cheapside," says Macaulay,
"gazing intently at the weather-cock on the graceful steeple of the
Bow Church, and praying for a Protestant wind. "Great was their joy
when it blew the right way at last."."
William was at last advancing before a Protestant wind, his flag
unfurled, displaying the arms of Nassau quartered with those of
England, and embellished with a motto embroidered in letters three
feet long: "The liberties of England and the Protestant
religion I will maintain."
Gallantly the Protestant Armada rode before the gale, the "Brill"
with the prince on board leading the way. A hundred years earlier a
Catholic Armada had set sail for the destruction of Protestantism in
England - now a Protestant fleet is speeding to the same shore,
having for its object the subversion of Catholicism. The former
suffered shipwreck, the latter enjoyed the special protection and
guidance of Divine Providence.
About six hundred vessels, with canvas fully spread, reached the
Straits of Dover at midday on 3 November. The shores of Calais and
the white cliffs of Dover could be seen by those on board, and the
fortresses of each were saluted at the same time by the Men-of-War
on the extreme left and right. Both coasts were densely packed with
spectators. On 5 November 1688 William landed at Brixham, Devon and
to this day William's motto "I Will Maintain" remains the motto of
Brixham.
On 9 November William entered Exeter and waited for his promised
support to arrive. It wasn't until 17 November that a certain
Edward Seymour, the richest and most influential man in the South
West of England arrived and swore allegiance, quickly followed by
the Earl of Bath. James by this time had reversed all his policies
in a vain attempt at regaining his country's support, but his
Protestant subjects were by now rightly suspicious of the Catholic
King and many of his Generals were switching allegiance to William.
James's army was situated in Salisbury and on 21 November, William
struck out eastwards from Exeter. On the 23rd James withdrew and
decided to negotiate with William. By now, William had reached
Hungerford and on 7 December, James's commissioners were received.
The next day, 8 December, William stated his terms. They included
the dismissal of all Catholic Officers, the revocation of all
proclamations against William and his adherents and James was to pay
William's army. James and William and their armies were to remain
at an equal distance from London and both
men were to attend the next session of Parliament.
These terms, not being unreasonable, prove beyond doubt that William
was prepared to allow James to remain on the throne albeit with
greatly reduced powers. James refused these terms and tried to flee
to France but was captured and sent back to London. On 22 December
James was escorted to Rochester where every means was taken to
facilitate his escape which he did.
William ordered free elections in early January 1689 and the elected
met on 22 January. After lengthy legal debate, wrangling and
intrigue, it was eventually decided to offer William and Mary the
throne jointly. Although both Parliament Houses believed James had
repeatedly violated the system, trying to impose Catholicism and
Absolution, the Constitution did not provide for a king who broke
the law and this was the reason for the delay in proclaiming for
William and Mary, with Mary's sister Anne to succeed them.
On 13 February, William and Mary heard the Declaration of Rights
read to them and were asked to accept the Crown. William replied
"We thankfully accept what you have offered us and promise to rule
according to law and be guided by Parliament."
Having given freedom and rights to all, the country was not kind to
William, withholding any form of payment to him by way of income or
money to further his campaign. William also granted a free and
unfettered Press. 11 April 1689 saw the coronation of William and
Mary. The Toleration Act of 1689 was the first statutory grant of
religious toleration in England and extended religious liberties to
Catholic and Protestant alike, ending the Church of England's
monopoly of the nation's religious life. High Anglicans resented
this and subsequently grew to dislike William, which perhaps
explains a lot of today's intransigence to the Orange Order.
In the spring of 1689, James landed in Ireland, at Kinsale where he
took command of some 50,000 men who had rallied to Tyrconnel's
(known as Lying Dick Talbot) standard.
Tyrconnel had made every preparation ready for this day including
disbanding the Army of its Protestant soldiers decreeing that only
Papists could be in the Army. Protestant Mayors, Judges and
Sheriffs were all replaced by Papists. Many Protestants in the
south fled the country, but those in the north drew together at
Londonderry and Enniskillen. James sent some 25,000 soldiers north
to subdue the Protestants at Londonderry. The Siege of Londonderry
then followed.
Following their defeat at Londonderry the army of James II fell back
to Dublin, where James had instituted a Catholic Parliament, and was
creating havoc among the Protestants. Clergy were evicted from
their parishes and Protestants were thrown out of Trinity College.
Three thousand Protestants of name and fortune were deprived of
Civil Rights, and of the right to inherit or transmit their property
due to the Bill of Attainment passed by this Parliament. The ruin
of all Protestants in Ireland was the object of James and his
cronies in this Parliament. He was financing his affairs by robbing
the Protestants. King William's presence was required in Ireland to
subdue this insurrection and so in June 1690 he set sail for
Ireland.
On that sunny day in July 1690 two great armies were converging.
James, with 26,000 men arrived at the River Boyne first and set up
his great tents and canons and he waited. King William, Prince of
Orange with 30,000 men arrived and prepared to do battle. On seeing
the opposing army William exclaimed with delight "Ah, I am glad to
see you, gentlemen; if you escape me now, the fault will be mine!"
On 12 July at 8:00 a.m. the battle started and continued throughout
the day until 4:00 p.m., 1500 men were killed that day. James was
defeated and fled to Kinsale and then on to France, followed by the
scorn of even his own followers. Other battles took place, but the
struggle in Ireland was short and William was victorious. The
Battle of the Boyne established the throne of William Prince of
Orange.
William and Louis XIV signed a treaty - The Peace Treaty of Ryswick
in 1697 in which Louis XIV pledged to never again make any attempt
to subvert the existing government of England. But four years later
Louis broke his word and violated his pledge.
In the meantime the Queen of England died of smallpox, and was
buried with due pomp and ceremony in Westminster Abbey. The Heir
apparent to the throne (the son of Princess Anne) died some five or
six years later. This necessitated the settlement of the
succession. In 1701 the famous Act of Settlement was passed, which
determined that if either William or Anne had no children, the
Princess Sophia, Duchess Dowager of Hanover, should succeed to the
English Throne on the death of the latter
(Princess Anne), who was a daughter of James II, and wife of Prince
George of Denmark, thus excluding the Catholic Prince of Wales.
Sophia was the daughter of James I of England and was mother to
George I.
This Act perpetuated the Protestant succession to the throne, and
enjoined that only a member of the Church of England should wear the
English Crown. Thus were all Papists excluded from the English
Throne, forever.
When William met his Parliament, he spoke these memorable words :
"Let there be no other distinctions heard amongst us for the
future, but of those who are for the Protestant religion and the
present establishment, and of those who mean a Popish prince and a
French government. I will only add this, if you do in good earnest
desire to see England hold the balance of Europe, and to be indeed
at the head of the Protestant interest, it will appear by your right
improving the present opportunity" (Stoughton).
In 1702 William, while recovering from ill health, broke his
collarbone when his horse stumbled over a molehill in Richmond
park. Jacobites later toasted the little gentleman in a black
velvet suit - the mole.
On 4 March, William was very weak and had great difficulty eating.
By the 7th he had a fever and was in great pain, but he accepted
death in the same fearless manner in which he had lived. Early on 8
March 1702 he received the sacrament and he died shortly after 8.00
a.m. Around his neck was a necklace attached to which were a lock
of Mary's hair and her wedding ring.
Thus ended the life of King William III Prince of Orange, the first
monarch who loved and upheld a constitutional system of religious
liberty. Under his tolerant and wise policy Protestantism was
firmly established on a sure, and let us hope, an immovable basis. |
