Heeding the call of England’s ruling class, the Dutch Prince William of Orange landed with a massive invasion force and within six weeks expelled the Catholic King James II in 1688. In what was largely heralded as a bloodless revolution, William and his English wife Mary, James II’s Protestant daughter, were crowned joint monarchs, accepting the Declaration of Rights that affirmed Parliament’s ancient rights. It was a turning point in Britain’s march toward universal suffrage and liberties. But as acclaimed historian Edward Vallance reveals, the Glorious Revolution was characterized by warfare and bloody massacre (especially for Catholics and Irishmen), affected the rights of the common man in ways traditional histories have ignored, and engaged the British populace in the affairs of government as never before. A thriller-paced book—rich in seventeenth-century first-person accounts of the bloodshed and political machinations of the period—that turns every debate about this great historical event on its head.
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In this new, highly readable history of the Glorious Revolution of 1688-when James II was supplanted on the English throne by William, Prince of Orange, and his English wife Mary-Edward Vallance challenges the view that it was a bloodless coup in the name of progress, arguing instead that the revolution was a brutal Protestant struggle to obtain power. Meticulously researched and told with verve and color, this will remain the definitive narrative of the Glorious Revolution for years to come....