Glorious Revolution, The

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.