1. Glorious Revolution
What was the government before the revolution?
• At the time of the Glorious Revolution, James II was the king of England. He
had to share power with the parliament per the Magna Carta (1215) which
limited the king’s power and ensured rights to the people. However, James II
did not follow this rule.
• James II was also Catholic, and ruled with this in mind.
Why was this a problem?
• Britain was Protestant and had been since Henry VIII created the Church of
England in 1534. The people of England did NOT want a Catholic king!
• James II began suspending laws and ignored the parliament.
• James II violated the Test Act and began appointing Catholics to important
positions within the government.
• The people were concerned that the monarchy would continue to be Catholic
even after James II.
• Their concerns were realized when James II had a son (Catholic heir!)

2. Glorious Revolution
So what happened?
• In order to keep England under Protestant rule, the parliament offered
the throne to James’ protestant daughter Mary and her husband
William of Orange.
• William and Mary were offered the joint monarchy of England, and
they accepted the offer.
• They agreed to acknowledge the supremacy of Parliament.
• James II abdicated his throne and fled to France to seek protection
under Louis XIV.
• This became known as the “Glorious Revolution” because it replaced
one king with another with no bloodshed.

3. Glorious Revolution
Result of the Revolution
• Destroyed the idea of divine-right (absolute) monarchy in
England.
• The revolution established that the ultimate power in the state
was divided between monarch and parliament and the monarch
ruled with the consent of the governed.
• A constitutional monarchy was formed with the making of the
document known as the English Bill of Rights.

4. English Bill of Rights (1689)
• Let’s take a look at the document.
• In your groups, discuss and rank each of the
articles by importance. The most important
being 1 and the least important being 9.
• Also discuss: are there similarities in the
English Bill of Rights compared to the U.S.
Bill of Rights?

5. Revolution Comparison Chart
• Let’s complete the last box of your
Revolution Comparison Chart.
• What was the Glorious Revolution’s
influence on individual liberty and self-
government? (refer to the English Bill of
Rights handout for help.)

6. Essential Unit Questions Notes
• Take out a piece of paper and title it
“Essential Unit Questions Notes”
• What can we put down for the following
questions based on what we just learned
from the Glorious Revolution?
1. Why do political revolutions occur?
2. When does change become progress?