Glorious Revolution: A History from Beginning to End by Hourly History

Author:Hourly History [History, Hourly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-06-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Four

The Dutch Invasion of England

“My heart is not made for a kingdom.”

—Mary II of England

William of Orange had been the ruler of his Dutch kingdom Orange since the death of his father when William was still a child. The Dutch had been engaged in a long-running battle against Catholic Spain in a fight for independence and William, who had been elected the stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel, had proven his mettle in military and leadership already. He was not particularly prepossessing in manners or appearance and he suffered from asthma, but he was undoubtedly competent. Moreover, he had weathered political crises throughout his reign and was no stranger to war with Catholic foes.

Going from initial aversion to devotion, Mary gave her love and loyalty to her husband, assuring him that she would be ruled by him as a wife and as a monarch, a matter of major importance after Charles II died and James assumed the throne. Protestant Europe watched the developments in England closely as James became more and more supportive of his Catholic subjects. When Mary learned that her father’s policies as king were slanted to favor non-Anglicans, she had her chaplain send a letter to the archbishop of Canterbury.

Mary was dismayed as well when her father did not come to William’s aid against Louis XIV after the French invaded Orange and persecuted the Huguenot refugees who had fled there. James II retaliated against his daughter by urging the queen’s ladies to let her know that her husband was having an affair with one of her ladies, Elizabeth Villiers, the daughter of the woman who had been Mary’s governess when she was a child. William denied the accusation, and the queen’s staff was sent back to Britain.

After the duke of Monmouth, who had been a houseguest of Mary’s in the Netherlands, put together an invasion force and left for England, William ordered English regiments serving in the Netherlands to go back to Britain. He also notified James that the duke of Monmouth was on his way to England. Monmouth’s uprising failed to muster the support he expected, and on July 15, 1685, he was beheaded for treason.

After the birth of the male heir that James II longed for, the religious dilemma gained a new emphasis. Although the birth of a male heir was a triumph for the Catholic king, who felt assured that his line would continue through him and not through his daughter, the English did not share his joy. They had been making overtures to William even before the boy was born. Rumors began to fly, casting doubts on the parentage of the infant heir. From the Netherlands, Mary queried her sister Anne in a letter, asking for details of the birth. The two sisters were convinced that the child born was not a brother or heir; instead, King James II was making every effort to put a Catholic prince on the throne of the Protestant English nation.

Both cautious and calculating, William laid his plans with care.

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