Glorious Revolution
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The Glorious Revolution was a 1688 uprising in Britain that removed King James II from power and replaced him with William and Mary, fundamentally shifting authority from the monarchy toward Parliament. It matters because it established the principle that monarchs rule with the consent of Parliament rather than by absolute power alone, setting a foundation for modern constitutional government.
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The Glorious Revolution was the deposition of King James II in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II and her Dutch husband, James's nephew William III of Orange. The two ruled as joint monarchs of England, Scotland, and Ireland until Mary's death in 1694, when William became ruler in his own right. Jacobitism, the political movement that aimed to restore the exiled James or his descendants of the House of Stuart to the throne, persisted into the late 18th century. Some historians consider it the last successful invasion of England.
Despite being a Catholic, James became king in February 1685 with widespread backing from the Protestant majorities in England and Scotland, as well as largely Catholic Ireland, but his policies quickly eroded support. The prospect of a Catholic dynasty following the birth of his son James Francis Edward Stuart on 10 June 1688 led some of his domestic opponents to issue the Invitation to William, seeking Dutch support to remove him.