"William ascended the British throne as the representative of Protestantism. That throne, destined to become the greatest in the world, was beheld won for the Reformation. This was the triumph, not of English Protestantism only, it was the triumph for the Protestantism of all Christendom. It was the resurrection of the cause of the French Huguenots, and through them that of Calvin and the Church of Geneva. It was the revival no less of the cause of the Scottish Covenanters, whose torn and blood-stained flag, upheld at the latter end of their struggle by only a few laymen, was soon to be crowned with victory." Professor J.A. Wylie.
The Glorious Revolution
of King William III, Prince of Orange.
In 1688, the Protestants of Britain stood with their backs against the wall. Their worst fears had come true. Their own king, James II, had initiated and sustained a wicked Roman Catholic campaign of aggression against them. Faced with the destruction of their faith and nation, the Protestants of Britain (and their leaders) called upon the House of Orange to rescue them. In response to this invitation, King William prepared his invasion fleet in the run up to November 1688.
In addition to his ordinary force of 25 Man-of-War Battleships and 10 Fire-Ships, 24 other Man-of-War Battleships were fitted out. For the transport of his troops, horses and equipment - the Prince (at first) calculated that he would need just under 200 vessels. By the time they had provided space for a portable bridge, a mobile smithy, a printing press, moulds for striking money, the baggage of senior officers, extra provisions (such as 4 tons of tobacco, 1600 hogsheads of beer and 50 of brandy), 10000 pairs of boots and the Prince's personal coach and horses - the number of transports needed rose to 225.
The impressive fleet was divided into 3 squadrons, one under Admiral Herbert, one under Lt. Admiral Van Almonde and one under Admiral Evertsen.
On 9th November 1688 (new style calendar), William and Mary parted for the final time (they had parted on 26th October 1688, but poor weather delayed the invasion fleet).
24 hours later, William set sail with over two hundred transport ships and an escort of fifty warships. The total number of men on board was 15,500 and 4,000 horses. At first, the weather was fine but - within 24 hours - the fleet was driven back by high winds. Although there was little damage to the fleet, around 1,300 horses suffocated when the hatches were battened down.
On the 11th November 1688, the fleet put to sea again. The two proposed arrival points lay in the West Country and the North of England (the matter of which one would be chosen was very much dependent upon the wind).
Providence was on King William's side and, helped by what became known as 'The Protestant East Wind', his invasion fleet sailed towards the English Channel - with the West Country being the selected landing point. The English naval Commander, Lord Dartmouth, was unable to intercept the Dutch army because his fleet (moored off the Essex coast) was held back by bad weather. When the sea finally calmed down, the English navy was prevented from putting to see for a further 2 days - this time because the weather was 'too calm' (i.e. there was no wind at all, therefore their ships couldn't get moving).
As the huge Dutch Armada passed Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, vast crowds of jubilant Protestants gathered on the beaches and headlands to see the fleet, 300 vessels strong, sail down the channel. Finally, their prayers had been answered. Their deliverance had come.
From the masthead of the Prince's flagship (Den Briel) streamed a huge banner with the Orange family motto 'Je Maintiendrai' (I Will Maintain). Other ships in the Dutch fleet carried great streamers with the following slogans in Latin: 'Pro Libertate et Religione' and 'Pro Religione Protestante' - or in English, announcing, "The Liberties of England and the Protestant Religion, I Will Maintain".
William was not coming as an occupier, he was coming as a liberator.
Meanwhile, the weather changed again, and Lord Dartmouth's intrepid fleet finally resumed their pursuit of the Dutch. They made it as far as Portsmouth, but then had to take shelter again due to bad weather. By this time however, the game was lost, William's fleet was well ahead and coasting to its landing location in the West Country.
On the 5th November 1688 (old style calendar), William's fleet landed at Brixham, near Torbay. Significantly, this date was also the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, an earlier occasion when Britain was delivered from RC aggression.
The Prince's Chaplain, William Carstares, suggested a short service of thanksgiving. The men were drawn up in their ranks, prayers were said and they sang Psalm 118.
One of King William's commanders, Count von Solms-Braunfels, was rowed ashore with ten grenadiers. When the villagers of Brixham offered no resistance, the Prince followed almost immediately.
Wearing light armour, with the insignia of the Garter gleaming on his left shoulder, he was at once recognised and some local women ran into the sea to kiss his hands saying "God bless you!"
The long night of James' reign had ended! Their Protestant deliverer had come!
A local fisherman by the name of Peter Varnell rushed forward and carried King William ashore on his shoulders.
By nightfall, nearly all of the men were ashore and the invasion force made their camp in Brixham village. William himself slept on a mattress in an old fisherman's hut in Middle Street (this house wasn't knocked down until the 1950s).
Three days later, William and his army arrived with full pomp and ceremony in Exeter, where he was given a warm welcome by the local population. To show the people an example of his discipline and good will, he had two of his soldiers executed for stealing a chicken.
On the 17th November 1688, Edward Seymour (the richest and most influential man in the West Country) came and joined William's standard. Two days later, the Marquis of Bath (commander of the Plymouth Garrison) offered to place his troops at William's disposal. In the following days, William's army grew continually larger as various English garrisons joyously defected to William and joined his crusade of liberation. The Williamite army included English and Scottish Regiments from Holland, soldiers from Sweden and Brandenburg, the famous Dutch Blue Guards, Wurttemberg cavalrymen, Swiss mercenaries and French Huguenots.
Whilst James had increased his army (i.e. the English army) to 34,000 men, he was blind to the fact that most of his men were strong Protestants who detested his pro-Roman Catholic stance. Before James could even meet up with his army, his own nephew (Lord Cornbury) declared for William and Lord Delamere had led a Williamite uprising in Cheshire.
On 21st November 1688, William left Exeter and headed east towards London. Two days later, whilst the opposing armies were more than 60 miles apart, James decided to withdraw without offering battle. Several of his leading Colonels (including John Churchill, the famous Duke of Marlborough and ancestor of Winston Churchill, along with James' own son-in-law Prince George of Denmark) had declared for William. By the end of November, it became obvious to James that he was in a very weak position and had no chance of stopping William. As a result, he accepted the Tories' recommendation that he should negotiate.
On 7th December 1688, William received James' commissioners at The Bear Inn (Hungerford) where William stated his terms: the dismissal of all Roman Catholic officers; the revocation of all proclamations against William and his adherents; James was to pay William's army; William agreed to halt his army at a position 40 miles west of London if James placed what remained of his own army 40 miles to the east of London; both William and James were to attend the next session of Parliament; James was to guarantee that he would not try to bring a French force to England.
By offering these magnanimous and generous terms, King William was showing that he was ready to leave the way open for reconciliation and compromise - he was prepared to leave James on the throne, though with greatly reduced powers and on the proviso that he respected England's Protestantism and historic civil liberties.
James received the letter stating William's terms the following evening. Upon doing so, he informed his commissioners that he would give an answer within 24 hours. He had already decided that he would not compromise and so, having already sent his wife and son to France for safety, made the decision to follow them. James slipped away quietly on a boat, accompanied by two Roman Catholic friends. As they crossed the Thames to Vauxhall, he threw the Great Seal of England (i.e. the ceremonial mace that sits in the House of Commons) overboard in the vain hope that such a gesture would stop parliament from being called.
However, James' escape attempt was unsuccessful. He was back in Whitehall four days later, having been apprehended by two Kentish fishermen.
William was extremely unsympathetic towards James. The main reason for this was because he had fled from his responsibility and left Britain in a state of near anarchy. The sad and undeniable truth about James is that he'd rather see England destroyed, than see it remain Protestant.
James stayed in Rochester for a few days under armed guard, but on the 23rd December he was 'allowed' to escape to France (his continued presence was an embarrassment to William). For James, this would be the last time that he'd ever set foot on English soul.
William was very careful to avoid giving an impression of triumphalism, and thus would only proceed to the crown once invited by Parliament to do so. He had previously stated that it was not his intention to conquer England, he was simply there in order to ensure that Protestantism was defended and parliament arbitrated on all other matters.
On 6th February 1689, the Privy Council and House of Lords came to the formal conclusion that James had indeed abdicated his throne. Seven days later, William and Mary were officially offered the crown as Joint Monarchs (the first and only time that this has ever happened in British history).
The conditions stipulated that if William and Mary remained childless (Mary had already miscarried twice), then Princess Anne (Mary's sister / William's sister-in-law) and her children would take precedence in the succession over any children that King William may have had by a second marriage (for example, if Mary died before her husband). Whilst parliament insisted that Mary be made Joint Monarch, it was clear to all that the real power in question would reside with King William. The Lords would control civil administration, whilst William would control the armed forces. On 29th December 1688, William was invited to take over the provisional government and send out writs in order to authorise elections to be held in early 1689.
In Holland, Mary received word of her husband's successes in early February. Whilst she was deeply saddened by her father's plight, she nonetheless prepared to leave Holland and travel to England.
Whilst reluctant to leave a country that she had grown to love, she was nonetheless eager to be reunited with her husband. William met her in Greenwich and both fell into each other's arms, weeping tears of joy. However, Mary was disturbed to find him both thinner and coughing blood.
William and Mary received the Lords and Commons at the Banqueting House in Whitehall. Upon being assembled, the 'Declaration of Rights' was read out. They were both asked to accept the crown. William replied that they both accepted (with thanksgiving) the crown that had been offered to them. Furthermore, he promised to rule Britain according to its national laws and with the guidance of parliament. Upon which, William and Mary were proclaimed King and Queen.
The 'Declaration of Rights', later included in the Bill of Rights, dealt with James' abdication, William and Mary's elevation to the throne and the order of succession after their deaths. The heirs would be Mary's children (if any), followed by Princess Anne, her children and then any children William may have had via a second marriage. It declared that no Roman Catholic, or spouse of a Roman Catholic could become King or Queen of England. The Bill also provided for the rights and liberties of Parliament and the people. It proclaimed that: ordinary citizens had the right to petition the King; parliamentary debates / elections should be free; and Parliament should meet regularly.
The Coronation date was set for 11th April 1689.
For Mary, the day of her Coronation started poorly. As she was dressing, she received a letter from her father (James), bringing news that he had landed in Ireland with an army commanded by French officers. James wrote "the curses of an angry father will fall on you, as well as those of a God who commands obedience to parents". It was timed to have the worst possible effect and certainly unsettled Mary at the beginning of what was to be a long and stressful day.
William and Mary left the Palace of Whitehall to travel the few hundred yards to Westminster, where the nobility had assembled in the House of Lords. Three hours later, they emerged from the Palace of Westminster to walk to the West Door of Westminster Abbey, the King wearing a crown (topped with a pleated velvet bonnet, to match his robes) and the Queen wearing a golden diadem. They were accompanied by the Earl of Grafton, the Duke of Somerset and the Bishops of Winchester and Bristol.
When the Coronation Service was over, William emerged from Westminster Abbey - he was now 'King William III of England'.
A new era had begun.
The Glorious Revolution had triumphed.
In addition to his ordinary force of 25 Man-of-War Battleships and 10 Fire-Ships, 24 other Man-of-War Battleships were fitted out. For the transport of his troops, horses and equipment - the Prince (at first) calculated that he would need just under 200 vessels. By the time they had provided space for a portable bridge, a mobile smithy, a printing press, moulds for striking money, the baggage of senior officers, extra provisions (such as 4 tons of tobacco, 1600 hogsheads of beer and 50 of brandy), 10000 pairs of boots and the Prince's personal coach and horses - the number of transports needed rose to 225.
The impressive fleet was divided into 3 squadrons, one under Admiral Herbert, one under Lt. Admiral Van Almonde and one under Admiral Evertsen.
On 9th November 1688 (new style calendar), William and Mary parted for the final time (they had parted on 26th October 1688, but poor weather delayed the invasion fleet).
24 hours later, William set sail with over two hundred transport ships and an escort of fifty warships. The total number of men on board was 15,500 and 4,000 horses. At first, the weather was fine but - within 24 hours - the fleet was driven back by high winds. Although there was little damage to the fleet, around 1,300 horses suffocated when the hatches were battened down.
On the 11th November 1688, the fleet put to sea again. The two proposed arrival points lay in the West Country and the North of England (the matter of which one would be chosen was very much dependent upon the wind).
Providence was on King William's side and, helped by what became known as 'The Protestant East Wind', his invasion fleet sailed towards the English Channel - with the West Country being the selected landing point. The English naval Commander, Lord Dartmouth, was unable to intercept the Dutch army because his fleet (moored off the Essex coast) was held back by bad weather. When the sea finally calmed down, the English navy was prevented from putting to see for a further 2 days - this time because the weather was 'too calm' (i.e. there was no wind at all, therefore their ships couldn't get moving).
As the huge Dutch Armada passed Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, vast crowds of jubilant Protestants gathered on the beaches and headlands to see the fleet, 300 vessels strong, sail down the channel. Finally, their prayers had been answered. Their deliverance had come.
From the masthead of the Prince's flagship (Den Briel) streamed a huge banner with the Orange family motto 'Je Maintiendrai' (I Will Maintain). Other ships in the Dutch fleet carried great streamers with the following slogans in Latin: 'Pro Libertate et Religione' and 'Pro Religione Protestante' - or in English, announcing, "The Liberties of England and the Protestant Religion, I Will Maintain".
William was not coming as an occupier, he was coming as a liberator.
Meanwhile, the weather changed again, and Lord Dartmouth's intrepid fleet finally resumed their pursuit of the Dutch. They made it as far as Portsmouth, but then had to take shelter again due to bad weather. By this time however, the game was lost, William's fleet was well ahead and coasting to its landing location in the West Country.
On the 5th November 1688 (old style calendar), William's fleet landed at Brixham, near Torbay. Significantly, this date was also the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, an earlier occasion when Britain was delivered from RC aggression.
The Prince's Chaplain, William Carstares, suggested a short service of thanksgiving. The men were drawn up in their ranks, prayers were said and they sang Psalm 118.
One of King William's commanders, Count von Solms-Braunfels, was rowed ashore with ten grenadiers. When the villagers of Brixham offered no resistance, the Prince followed almost immediately.
Wearing light armour, with the insignia of the Garter gleaming on his left shoulder, he was at once recognised and some local women ran into the sea to kiss his hands saying "God bless you!"
The long night of James' reign had ended! Their Protestant deliverer had come!
A local fisherman by the name of Peter Varnell rushed forward and carried King William ashore on his shoulders.
By nightfall, nearly all of the men were ashore and the invasion force made their camp in Brixham village. William himself slept on a mattress in an old fisherman's hut in Middle Street (this house wasn't knocked down until the 1950s).
Three days later, William and his army arrived with full pomp and ceremony in Exeter, where he was given a warm welcome by the local population. To show the people an example of his discipline and good will, he had two of his soldiers executed for stealing a chicken.
On the 17th November 1688, Edward Seymour (the richest and most influential man in the West Country) came and joined William's standard. Two days later, the Marquis of Bath (commander of the Plymouth Garrison) offered to place his troops at William's disposal. In the following days, William's army grew continually larger as various English garrisons joyously defected to William and joined his crusade of liberation. The Williamite army included English and Scottish Regiments from Holland, soldiers from Sweden and Brandenburg, the famous Dutch Blue Guards, Wurttemberg cavalrymen, Swiss mercenaries and French Huguenots.
Whilst James had increased his army (i.e. the English army) to 34,000 men, he was blind to the fact that most of his men were strong Protestants who detested his pro-Roman Catholic stance. Before James could even meet up with his army, his own nephew (Lord Cornbury) declared for William and Lord Delamere had led a Williamite uprising in Cheshire.
On 21st November 1688, William left Exeter and headed east towards London. Two days later, whilst the opposing armies were more than 60 miles apart, James decided to withdraw without offering battle. Several of his leading Colonels (including John Churchill, the famous Duke of Marlborough and ancestor of Winston Churchill, along with James' own son-in-law Prince George of Denmark) had declared for William. By the end of November, it became obvious to James that he was in a very weak position and had no chance of stopping William. As a result, he accepted the Tories' recommendation that he should negotiate.
On 7th December 1688, William received James' commissioners at The Bear Inn (Hungerford) where William stated his terms: the dismissal of all Roman Catholic officers; the revocation of all proclamations against William and his adherents; James was to pay William's army; William agreed to halt his army at a position 40 miles west of London if James placed what remained of his own army 40 miles to the east of London; both William and James were to attend the next session of Parliament; James was to guarantee that he would not try to bring a French force to England.
By offering these magnanimous and generous terms, King William was showing that he was ready to leave the way open for reconciliation and compromise - he was prepared to leave James on the throne, though with greatly reduced powers and on the proviso that he respected England's Protestantism and historic civil liberties.
James received the letter stating William's terms the following evening. Upon doing so, he informed his commissioners that he would give an answer within 24 hours. He had already decided that he would not compromise and so, having already sent his wife and son to France for safety, made the decision to follow them. James slipped away quietly on a boat, accompanied by two Roman Catholic friends. As they crossed the Thames to Vauxhall, he threw the Great Seal of England (i.e. the ceremonial mace that sits in the House of Commons) overboard in the vain hope that such a gesture would stop parliament from being called.
However, James' escape attempt was unsuccessful. He was back in Whitehall four days later, having been apprehended by two Kentish fishermen.
William was extremely unsympathetic towards James. The main reason for this was because he had fled from his responsibility and left Britain in a state of near anarchy. The sad and undeniable truth about James is that he'd rather see England destroyed, than see it remain Protestant.
James stayed in Rochester for a few days under armed guard, but on the 23rd December he was 'allowed' to escape to France (his continued presence was an embarrassment to William). For James, this would be the last time that he'd ever set foot on English soul.
William was very careful to avoid giving an impression of triumphalism, and thus would only proceed to the crown once invited by Parliament to do so. He had previously stated that it was not his intention to conquer England, he was simply there in order to ensure that Protestantism was defended and parliament arbitrated on all other matters.
On 6th February 1689, the Privy Council and House of Lords came to the formal conclusion that James had indeed abdicated his throne. Seven days later, William and Mary were officially offered the crown as Joint Monarchs (the first and only time that this has ever happened in British history).
The conditions stipulated that if William and Mary remained childless (Mary had already miscarried twice), then Princess Anne (Mary's sister / William's sister-in-law) and her children would take precedence in the succession over any children that King William may have had by a second marriage (for example, if Mary died before her husband). Whilst parliament insisted that Mary be made Joint Monarch, it was clear to all that the real power in question would reside with King William. The Lords would control civil administration, whilst William would control the armed forces. On 29th December 1688, William was invited to take over the provisional government and send out writs in order to authorise elections to be held in early 1689.
In Holland, Mary received word of her husband's successes in early February. Whilst she was deeply saddened by her father's plight, she nonetheless prepared to leave Holland and travel to England.
Whilst reluctant to leave a country that she had grown to love, she was nonetheless eager to be reunited with her husband. William met her in Greenwich and both fell into each other's arms, weeping tears of joy. However, Mary was disturbed to find him both thinner and coughing blood.
William and Mary received the Lords and Commons at the Banqueting House in Whitehall. Upon being assembled, the 'Declaration of Rights' was read out. They were both asked to accept the crown. William replied that they both accepted (with thanksgiving) the crown that had been offered to them. Furthermore, he promised to rule Britain according to its national laws and with the guidance of parliament. Upon which, William and Mary were proclaimed King and Queen.
The 'Declaration of Rights', later included in the Bill of Rights, dealt with James' abdication, William and Mary's elevation to the throne and the order of succession after their deaths. The heirs would be Mary's children (if any), followed by Princess Anne, her children and then any children William may have had via a second marriage. It declared that no Roman Catholic, or spouse of a Roman Catholic could become King or Queen of England. The Bill also provided for the rights and liberties of Parliament and the people. It proclaimed that: ordinary citizens had the right to petition the King; parliamentary debates / elections should be free; and Parliament should meet regularly.
The Coronation date was set for 11th April 1689.
For Mary, the day of her Coronation started poorly. As she was dressing, she received a letter from her father (James), bringing news that he had landed in Ireland with an army commanded by French officers. James wrote "the curses of an angry father will fall on you, as well as those of a God who commands obedience to parents". It was timed to have the worst possible effect and certainly unsettled Mary at the beginning of what was to be a long and stressful day.
William and Mary left the Palace of Whitehall to travel the few hundred yards to Westminster, where the nobility had assembled in the House of Lords. Three hours later, they emerged from the Palace of Westminster to walk to the West Door of Westminster Abbey, the King wearing a crown (topped with a pleated velvet bonnet, to match his robes) and the Queen wearing a golden diadem. They were accompanied by the Earl of Grafton, the Duke of Somerset and the Bishops of Winchester and Bristol.
When the Coronation Service was over, William emerged from Westminster Abbey - he was now 'King William III of England'.
A new era had begun.
The Glorious Revolution had triumphed.