WHY WAS JAMES II DEPOSED IN ENGLAND IN JANUARY 1689?
Why was James II deposed in England in January 1689?
Religion had played a key role in the development of many nations, and some have met immense criticism and opposition, especially in countries wherein ideology clashes with religious tradition and teachings. In Great Britain, new religions brought into the country had been met with reluctance and even severe opposition, such as Catholicism. Catholicism had met both support and opposition especially in the time of James II in the 17th century. However, while the monarch had embraced Catholicism, his subjects did not and opposed his desire to make Catholicism be the main religion of the country. Eventually, James II was deposed from England in January 1689 because of his efforts to introduce Catholicism to the country and executed all those who opposed his will, triggering the Glorious Revolution of 1688 led by William of Orange.
After the Third English Civil War of 1649-1651 and the execution of King Charles I in 1649, Great Britain had respected the religious freedom of religious movements while the transition process was taking in place. According to Baker (2006), the Catholics had been the majority religion practice in the country, while the Calvinists or the Huguenots had been allowed to practice their religion with full rights. The sons of Charles I, James and Charles, had seen the benefits of religious freedom; however, it was visible that Anglicans, Catholics, and Calvinists are still in armed conflict. With the death of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell in 1658, London had fallen to the control of General George Monck, who had invited Charles back to Britain to ascend to the throne as Charles II. While Charles II agreed to enforcing religious freedom, Lehman (2011) added that the Parliament enacted the Clarendon Code restricted the movement of non-Anglicans, Puritans and Catholics. Further restrictions to non-Anglicans had been applied throughout Charles II’s tenure, which made James’ right to the Throne almost abdicated in 1679 after the proposal of an Exclusion Act to prevent a Catholic from reigning as a monarch. In 1680, the Parliament continued to press on an Exclusion Act as the Whig Party believed that if James ascended after his brother, he should not be the governor of the Anglican State Church. However, the Exclusion Bill was not enforced thanks to the intervention of King Louis XIV of France because he provided Charles enough income to make the monarchy independent from the Parliament in 1681. Charles had used this chance to ensure that the elections would trigger the election of a friendlier Parliament, and should the Parliament fail to support Charles, he can threaten them into acceptance. However, upon the death of Charles II on February 6, 1685 prior to the elections, James ascended to the throne and became James II of England and James VII of Scotland despite continuous opposition to non-Anglicans.
James II/James VII’s tenure as the country’s monarch had been met with extreme uncertainty, especially in the religious sector given his status as a Catholic. According to Arnold-Baker (2007), James proclaimed that he was not after arbitrary power but rather to protect the nation’s just rights and liberties. He did not revise the roster for ministers in the country and even practiced his faith alongside the public. Religious prisoners were freed and ensure that non-Anglicans, especially the Catholics would be allowed to practice their beliefs freely and attain equal legal rights. When the Parliament was reconvened in 1661, James had reasserted his position that he was mostly for the protection of the rights and liberties of the people. The taxes were renewed without problem, and James II had only met problems when his nephew, the Duke of Monmouth raised his own rebellion against the monarch. Melusky and Pesto (2011) stated that when the rebellion had been stopped in 1685, the rebels were cruelly punished through hanging and ensured that no one would continue to support the rebels. The trial against these rebels were done under the jurisdiction of five judges, such as Chief Justice Jeffreys, and were called as the ‘Bloody Assizes’ for its severe punishments even to women. James II had then enlisted the armies who took charge of fighting the rebellion to replace the useless militia, coming up with a compromise from the House of Commons to reform the militia without the usual statutory exemptions. With the establishment of the army, criticism to James’ reign had seized.
Turning to the country’s religious environment, James II stressed that he wanted to improve the status of his co-religionists in the country despite his subject’s reluctance. Rose (2011) and Monod (2009) stated that James’s Catholic kingship was not to bow down to the Papacy, but it was to gain influence in the church and gain royal supremacy to aid Catholics and Dissenters, crushing those against him. He recruited Catholics to join the army and dismissed protestant officers. Conversion had also increased the Catholic population of the country to gain the favor of the King, alarming the Anglican population. James’ supporters were known as the Jacobites (from the Latin form of James) and alongside the High Anglican Tories, tried to establish religious toleration between all religious groups through the Declaration of Indulgence. James’ project to entice such religious equality; however was not as successful as it should because James did not listen to the sentiments of his subjects, making them believe his position is was mostly despotic and Francophile even if his sentiment did not lean to this aspect. With his reluctance to acknowledge these beliefs, James had alienated almost all his subjects in 1688.
With James’ Catholic inclinations, the Anglicans turned to James’ son-in-law William of Orange, who was in Holland with his wife Mary. Glozier (2008) stated that he was first reluctant to make contact with English politicians because of the possible invasion of Louis XIV on Holland and the rest of Western Europe. He had been interested in English politics, however, because if both Charles and James do not have male heirs; his wife will become queen. With the birth of James II’s son and heir in 1688, the religious enmity in the country grew, pushing William of Orange to enter Britain in September 1688. With the intention to end James II’s Catholic absolutism and use the attack to stop Louis XIV, William’s army consisted of Huguenot soldiers, French, and German fighters; dividing their attack through Ireland and Scotland before countering James’ army. William had also gotten international and local support from Amsterdam and local leaders because of the reported sufferings of French Huguenots and other religious minorities. Some members of James’ parliament had even colluded with the Prince’s force, such as the Duke of Grafton (illegitimate son of Charles II) and Aeneas Mackay (who coerced other officers to support William).
With the arrival of William of Orange upon the time of the revolution, James remained unwilling to aggravate France and acknowledge William’s attack. France knew that if James II were to remain as the monarch, France would have to remove the militant Huguenots and the Britons supporting William. William’s army did not easily reach England in 1688 due to a storm that scattered his forces. Nonetheless, upon their arrival in England on November 15, 1688 in Devon, William’s forces marched inland towards Salisbury to reach the capital. James’ forces only countered against the opposing force in Reading under Colonel Marouit. As William’s troops continued to march towards the capital, James’ army stationed around the capital immediately disbanded and allowed William to secure London, taking the Earl of Feversham into custody. James II, who had then returned to London from his first attempt to flee, fled once more and returned on Boxing Day to attempt to reclaim his throne. However, William’s control in London and its surrounding areas were cemented by his forces and led to James’ departure to France in January 1689.
Similar to other religions, it is visible that Catholicism had been seen as a threat to leaders in Great Britain in the 17th century, who mostly leaned towards Anglican beliefs. Although James II attempted to introduce religious equality in the country like his brother Charles II, the Anglicans saw his rule be mostly oppressive due to the Bloody Assizes and his intent to prefer Catholicism and France rather than acknowledging their position despite James religious equality policies. William of Orange was then seen by the Anglicans as their leader, who was both interested in acceding to the throne with his wife and to counter possible French control of Holland. With William of Orange in control of the capital, James II’s reign had been cut short and led him to flee alongside his family.
Annotated Bibliography
Arnold-Baker, Charles. The Companion to British History. London: Routledge, 2007.
Barton, Dennis. “James II and the ‘Glorious Revolution of 1688’: Britain 1649-1829”. Church in
History, last modified May 29, 2006, http://www.churchinhistory.org/pages/booklets/king-james.pdf.
In this booklet, the author explained that the religion before the time of James had already played a major role in the position of the Parliament to non-Anglicans like James, even preventing him from being monarch after the death of Charles II.
1688: The Lions of Judah. Eastbourne: Sussex Academic Press, 2008.
Rose, Jacqueline. Godly Kingship in Restoration England: The Politics of the Royal Supremacy,
1660-1668. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Bibliography
Arnold-Baker, Charles. The Companion to British History. London: Routledge, 2007.
Barton, Dennis. “James II and the ‘Glorious Revolution of 1688’: Britain 1649-1829”. Church in
History, last modified May 29, 2006, http://www.churchinhistory.org/pages/booklets/king-james.pdf.
Glozier, Matthew. Huguenot Soldiers of William of Orange and the Glorious Revolution of
1688: The Lions of Judah. Eastbourne: Sussex Academic Press, 2008.
Lehman, H. Eugene. Lives of England’s Reigning and Consort Queens. Bloomington:
AuthorHouse, 2011.
Melusky, Joseph & Pesto, Keith. Capital Punishment. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2011.
Monod, Paul Kleber. Imperial Island: A History of Britain and its Empire, 1660-1837. Hoboken:
John Wiley & Sons, 2009.
Rose, Jacqueline. Godly Kingship in Restoration England: The Politics of the Royal Supremacy,
1660-1668. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
