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Line 11: − + + + − Most serious of all, James tried to emulate and form an alliance with the powerful Catholic king of France, Louis XIV. This brought [[William III|William of Orange]] into the picture, the ruler of the Netherlands. William was trying to organize a European coalition against France, and needed Britain to join. British leaders in 1688 told William they were through with James and asked him to invade and take the throne. He did so, James fled, and William (now called William III) became king jointly with his wife [[Mary II]]. As the Protestant daughter of James II, Mary had a good claim to the throne.
→Catholic issue: corrrecting typo
Under James, the open pursuit of his Catholic programme proved unacceptable to Britain's ruling classes, confirmed latent fears of a design to establish a royal despotism. James' blunder was to underestimate the real vulnerability of the monarchy that his brother Charles II had restored in 1660. For all its outward strength and independence, it rested upon the tacit acceptance and co-operation of the nation's local elites. Early modern British government was in practice a collaborative affair, and this made the James' goal of an absolutist system impossible in practical terms. James may have wanted to emulate Louis XIV but it was quite impossible in Britain.<ref> See Goodlad (2007)</ref>
Under James, the open pursuit of his Catholic programme proved unacceptable to Britain's ruling classes, confirmed latent fears of a design to establish a royal despotism. James' blunder was to underestimate the real vulnerability of the monarchy that his brother Charles II had restored in 1660. For all its outward strength and independence, it rested upon the tacit acceptance and co-operation of the nation's local elites. Early modern British government was in practice a collaborative affair, and this made the James' goal of an absolutist system impossible in practical terms. James may have wanted to emulate Louis XIV but it was quite impossible in Britain.<ref> See Goodlad (2007)</ref>
== Catholic issue==
== Catholic issue==
James was an active Catholic who surrounded himself with Catholic advisors and dreamed of restoring Catholicism as the state religion, to the dismay of the Anglicans in the Church of England, as well as the Dissenters (other Protestants). He greatly underestimated the depth of anti-Catholic hatreds and fears in Britain. James Had a long-term goal: he believed that by relaxing the harsh rules against Catholics that Britain would eventually become a Catholic Country--vastly underestimating the strength of anti-Catholicism among all ranks of the British people. The Anglican bishops opposed his plans so he tried to form an alliance with the Protestant Dissenters against the Church of England, but the Dissenters realized his goal was to build up Catholicism. With the revocation of the [[Edict of Nantes]] by French King [[Louis XIV]] in 1784, a wave of persecuted Huguenots arrived in Britain, telling more horror stories about Catholic rule.
James was an active Catholic who surrounded himself with Catholic advisors and dreamed of restoring Catholicism as the state religion, to the dismay of the Anglicans in the Church of England, as well as the Dissenters (other Protestants). He greatly underestimated the depth of anti-Catholic hatreds and fears in Britain. James had a long-term goal: he believed that by relaxing the harsh rules against Catholics that Britain would eventually become a Catholic Country--vastly underestimating the strength of anti-Catholicism among all ranks of the British people. The Anglican bishops opposed his plans so he tried to form an alliance with the Protestant Dissenters against the Church of England, but the Dissenters realized his goal was to build up Catholicism. With the revocation of the [[Edict of Nantes]] by French King [[Louis XIV]] in 1784, a wave of persecuted Huguenots arrived in Britain, telling more horror stories about Catholic rule.
Most serious of all, James tried to emulate and form an alliance with the powerful Catholic king of France, Louis XIV. This brought [[William III|William of Orange]] into the picture, the ruler of the Netherlands. William was trying to organize a European coalition against France, and needed Britain to join. British leaders in 1688 told William they were through with James and asked him to invade and take the throne. He did so, James fled, and William (now called William III) became king jointly with his wife [[Mary II]]. As the Protestant daughter of James II, Mary had a good claim to the throne.
==Glorious Revolution==
==Glorious Revolution==
The overthrow of James was hailed at the time, and ever since, as the "[[Glorious Revolution]]." [[ Edmund Burke]] set the tone for over two centuries of historiographical analysis when he proclaimed that:
The overthrow of James was hailed at the time, and ever since, as the "[[Glorious Revolution]]." [[ Edmund Burke]] set the tone for over two centuries of historiographical analysis when he proclaimed that: