The Glorious Revolution and Parliamentary Monarchy
In 1688 Parliament removed one king and offered the throne to another only on written conditions. See how the Bill of Rights bound the crown for good, and judge how far 1688 settled the long struggle between monarch and Parliament.
Argue it out before you write it
A free interactive activity to open a lesson and get the thinking started.
Start revising freeWhat you'll cover
The year the crown was tamed
The Civil War had shown that a king could be removed, but the monarchy came straight back, and the struggle with Parliament went on. ⭐ In 1688 the question was settled for good. Parliament removed James the Second and offered the throne to William and Mary only on conditions. ⭐ Those conditions were written down as the Bill of Rights. From then on the monarch ruled with Parliament and under the law, in what we call a parliamentary monarchy. ⚠️ Watch why this stuck when the Restoration had not. The difference is the whole point of the topic.
Before and after the settlement
The clearest way to see what 1688 did is to set the position of the crown before it against the position after it.
Order the events of the Revolution
Put the events of the Glorious Revolution into order.
- James the Second alarms Parliament with his use of royal power
- Fear grows of a lasting Catholic line of kings
- Leading men invite William of Orange to come
- William lands, and James flees the country
- William and Mary are made monarchs on conditions
- The Bill of Rights writes those conditions into law
Why 1688 stuck when the Restoration had not
The monarchy had returned once before, at the Restoration, without settling the quarrel. Why did the settlement of 1688 last?
- This time the throne was granted only on permanent conditions, written into law, that the crown had to keep
- This time the people simply loved the new king more
- This time the king was given a huge army to enforce his will
- This time the Pope approved the new monarch
Words for the settlement
Five words that let you explain the change, rather than just retell it.
Spot what the Bill of Rights did
Three of these were genuine limits the Bill of Rights placed on the crown. Choose the three.
- No standing army in peacetime without the agreement of Parliament
- No taxes raised without the agreement of Parliament
- Parliaments to be held regularly and freely elected
- The king free to suspend any law he disliked
- The king to choose every member of Parliament himself
Why this settlement held
The Restoration had rested on trust that a king would behave. This settlement rested on something stronger. The terms were written and agreed as the price of the throne. They were not a favour that could be taken back, but the very condition on which the crown was held. And the machinery kept them in force. Parliament now met regularly, controlled the money, and organised itself into parties, so there was always a body ready to hold the crown to the bargain.
Match each part of the Revolution
- James the Second
- William of Orange
- The Bill of Rights
- Parliamentary monarchy
- The king whose rule triggered the crisis
- The ruler invited to take the throne
- The law setting the conditions the crown must keep
- The lasting system in which the monarch rules with Parliament
Find why 1688 mattered most
A student explains why 1688 mattered more than the Restoration. Select the ONE sentence that gets it right.
- Unlike the Restoration, 1688 bound the new monarchs by written conditions that Parliament could enforce, so the shift in power was permanent.
- It mattered more because the new king was simply a better person.
- It mattered more because it gave every adult the vote.
- It did not really matter, because there was still a monarch.
A worked example: a handshake, or a contract
Imagine hiring someone once on nothing but a friendly handshake, and watching them ignore every promise they made. The next time, you hire them only after they sign a written contract, and you keep a copy and someone whose job is to enforce it. Now the promises actually hold. Hold that idea. The same bargain can fail as a spoken hope and succeed as a written, enforced condition. The difference is not goodwill; it is that the terms are fixed and someone can hold you to them.
Complete the story of the settlement
The removal of James the Second in 1688 is called the _____. The law that set the conditions on the crown was the _____. The system in which the monarch rules with Parliament is a _____. The rule that taxes and armies need agreement first is _____. The ruler invited to take the throne was _____.
Judge what 1688 settled
Which is the soundest judgement on the Glorious Revolution?
- It was the decisive settlement that completed a long struggle, fixing Parliament above the crown in law
- It came from nowhere and had no roots in earlier events
- It made England a full democracy overnight
- It changed nothing, since a monarch still reigned
A sudden turning point, or a long process?
The strongest answers hold both. 1688 was a decisive break, and also the last step of a very long road.
Judge the settlement like an examiner
You are marking three claims about the Glorious Revolution. For each, choose the soundest judgement.
- An essay says 1688 came from nowhere. Is that safe?
- An essay says 1688 made England a democracy. Is that safe?
- An essay says nothing really changed because a monarch remained. Is that safe?
Write: how far did 1688 change who held power
How far did the Glorious Revolution change who held power in Britain? Weigh what it settled against what it built on, and reach a judgement. This is written in English and is not auto-marked.
- Name two limits the Bill of Rights put on the crown
- Explain why 1688 lasted when the Restoration had not
- Say how it both broke with and built on the past
- Reach a supported judgement