The“Glorious Revolution”

CharlesⅡreturned to London on May 29，1660 after years of exile in France.He was crowned on April 23，1661.Most of the members of the new Parliament were royalists，so CharlesⅡdid not have much trouble working with them.He kept his promise to issue an amnesty to most people who fought against his father in the Civil War.He also employed some revolutionary leaders from the Civil War in his government because they had experience in running the county.

CharlesⅡand his government tried to restore the old social order.One very important part of the old order was the Church of England.CharlesⅡwas sympathetic to the Catholics and wanted religious toleration.However，the new Parliament of 1661 was made up mostly of Anglicans who were opposed to religious toleration because they did not like the Puritans.As a result，Parliament reestablished the Episcopal system and removed most of the Puritans from their governmental posts.

Trade was another important concern for CharlesⅡand his government.Six of the thirteen English colonies in America were established during Charles’reign.In 1664，England fought the Second Dutch War against Holland over control of trade.Although various factors，such as the bubonic plague in London（1665—1666）and the great fire which destroyed three⁃fourths of London（1666）prevented the English from winning a complete victory against the Dutch，England got the Dutch colonies in America：New York，New Jersey and Delaware.

During the reign of CharlesⅡ，Parliament increased its power greatly because CharlesⅡowed his crown to Parliament.When CharlesⅡwas succeeded by his brother James，the Duke of York，Parliament was divided into two parties on the issue：the Whig Party and the Tory Party.The Whig Party opposed James’accession because he was a Catholic.The Tories also opposed the prospect of turning England back to Catholicism，but they were more concerned with proper royal succession and supported James’claim to the throne.They hoped that since James did not have any children by his Catholic wife，the throne would be returned to a Protestant successor when James died.However，James’Catholic wife gave birth to a son in June 1688.Both Whigs and Tories wished to avoid a Catholic succession after James.They launched a bloodless coup，which has become known as the“Glorious Revolution，”to depose James.They invited Mary，James’Protestant daughter by his first wife，and her husband William of Orange，ruler of Protestant Holland，to rule England.James escaped before William landed in England in November 1688.This vacated the throne，and Parliament made William and Mary joint sovereigns of England in early 1689.

In the same year，Parliament passed the Bill of Rights which limited the power of the monarch and guaranteed the authority of Parliament.It declared that the king could not stop the operation of parliamentary acts.Without Parliament’s consent，the king could not levy tax，keep a standing army in peace time，or create new courts.The bill provided that Englishmen had the right to petition the king，to be free from excessive bail，and to be tried by a jury if implicated in a case of treason.It also provided for free election of members of Parliament and free speech in Parliament.Finally，the king was asked to call Parliament into session frequently.William and Mary signed the bill into law.This completed the Glorious Revolution，in which Parliament removed a ruling monarch and established a system that became known as constitutional monarchy.With the Glorious Revolution，died forever the concept of“the divine right of kings”in England.The political struggle between the king and Parliament，which had lasted for almost a century，finally came to an end.From then on，the king ruled with authority allowed by Parliament.In 1701，Parliament also passed the Act of Settlement，which excluded Catholics from succession to the throne.Besides the great political changes during the era of the Stuarts，this period also saw the establishment of English colonies in America and the Caribbean.Population growth，economic pressure，and strong nationalism roused by the defeat of the Spanish Armada led the English to establish a colonial empire in North America.In 1607，the Virginian Company of London established the first English colony in Virginia.By the end of the Stuarts’rule，England had 12 colonies in North America：Connecticut，Delaware，Maryland，Massachusetts，New Hampshire，New Jersey，New York，North Carolina，Pennsylvania，Rhode Island，South Carolina，and Virginia.The last colony，Georgia，was established in 1732.

England underwent great changes during the century of Stuart rule.Its political system changed from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy.Scotland and England was united into one country，the Kingdom of Great Britain，in 1707 under the Act of Union.By the end of the Stuart era，the country included England，Wales，Scotland，and a dozen colonies in America.Ireland was also under the control of the English monarch.All of these factors prepared the way for England to embark on a new wave of economic development and foreign expansion which would turn it into the most powerful nation in the world.