and a second chamber, consisting of members who had sat in Charles II.'s
parliaments, together with the aldermen of London, and a deputation from
the Common Council, requested William to call a Convention, and to take
on himself the executive administration in the interim.
1689. The Convention declared the throne vacant, and offered the crown to
William and Mary, the former of whom was to exercise the executive power;
they also drew up a Declaration of Rights, which was subsequently embodied
in the Bill of Rights. William and Mary accepted the crown (Feb. 13). THE
REVOLUTION COMPLETED.
WILLIAM AND MARY.
=D.= William was the son of William, prince of Orange, and of Mary,
daughter of Charles I. =B.= at the Hague, 1650. =M.= Mary, daughter of
James II. (b. 1662). =Dd.= at Kensington, Mar. 8, 1702. Mary. =Dd.= at
Kensington, Dec. 28, 1694. =R.= together 5 years (1689 to 1694). William
reigned alone 8-1/4 years (1694 to 1702).
1689. The Convention turned into a parliament. _First Mutiny Act._ =Civil
War in Ireland=, where James landed to recover his crown. =War declared
against France.= _Toleration Act_ passed. Battle of KILLIECRANKIE, in
Perthshire, in which William's troops were defeated, but Dundee, the
Jacobite general, was slain (July 27). Siege of Londonderry raised by
General Kirke (July 30). _BILL OF RIGHTS_ passed.
The Toleration Act exempted Dissenters from the penalties of the
existing statutes on religion, and enabled their ministers to conduct
public worship on making certain subscriptions and declarations. The
Bill of Rights declared--1, That it is illegal to suspend laws without
consent of parliament; 2, That the pretended power of dispensing with
laws, as it hath been exercised of late, is illegal; 3, That the
commission for creating the late court of commissioners for
ecclesiastical causes is illegal; 4, That it is illegal to levy money
without consent of parliament; 5, That subjects have a right to
petition the king; 6, That it is illegal to maintain a standing army
in time of peace without consent of parliament; 7, That Protestant
subjects may have arms for their defence; 8, That election of members
of parliament ought to be free; 9, That freedom of speech and debate
in parliament ought not to be questioned in any place out of
parliament; 10, That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor
excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted;
11, That juries ought to be impartially selected; 12, That grants of
fines and forfeitures before conviction are illegal; 13, That for the
redress of grievances parliaments ought to be held frequently. It was
further enacted, that every English sovereign should, in full
parliament, repeat and subscribe the declaration against
transubstantiation; and that if a sovereign should marry a papist, the
subjects should be absolved from allegiance.
1690. William went to Ireland, and defeated James at the battle of the
BOYNE (July 1). James returned to France. The English and Dutch fleets
were defeated by the French off BEACHY HEAD (June 30).
1691. The nonjuring bishops (those who refused to take the oaths to
William) deprived of their sees. General Ginkel captured ATHLONE, gained
the battle of AGHRIM (July 12), and besieged LIMERICK, which capitulated
(Oct. 1).
1692. Massacre of the Macdonalds in the valley of Glencoe. The French
fleet defeated by the English and Dutch fleets off LA HOGUE (May 19).
=Foundation of the National Debt.=
1694. _Bill passed for holding triennial parliaments._ Incorporation of
the Bank of England. About this time =a Cabinet Ministry was first
established=.
WILLIAM III.
1695. William besieged and captured NAMUR, in Belgium (Aug. 26). _Statute
passed for regulating trials for high treason._
Prisoners were to be allowed counsel; and two witnesses were required
to prove each overt act.
1697. A bill of attainder passed against Sir John Fenwick, for
participation in a plot for assassinating the king, and he was executed
accordingly. =He was the last person condemned by bill of attainder.=
~Treaty of Ryswick~, between England, France, Spain, Holland, and the
emperor of Germany (Sept. 20).
By this treaty William was acknowledged king of England; and nearly
all the places in the Spanish dominions conquered by France were to be
restored.
1698. First partition treaty between William and Louis for dividing the
Spanish dominions on the death of Charles II., king of Spain. A second
treaty was concluded in 1700.
The purpose of these private treaties was to prevent the
disarrangement of the balance of power which would ensue in case the
whole of the Spanish dominions fell into the hands of Louis' son, the
dauphin. By the first treaty they were to be divided between the
electoral prince of Bavaria, the Dauphin, and the archduke Charles,
all of whom had pretensions to the Spanish throne. On the death of the
electoral prince (in 1699) they were to be divided between the
survivors. Charles, on his death, left the whole to Philip of Anjou,
grandson of Louis, who determined, in spite of his agreement with
William, to support his grandson; and hence ensued the war in the next
reign.
1700. Death of the duke of Gloucester, son of the Princess Anne, and heir
presumptive to the throne.
1701. _ACT OF SETTLEMENT_ passed. William formed a grand alliance against
France in behalf of the Archduke Charles, whom the allies recognised as
king of Spain. Death of James II., whose son James was acknowledged king
of England by Louis XIV.
By the Act of Settlement, Anne was to succeed William; and if she died
without issue, the heirs of William were to succeed: in failure of
these, the Electress Sophia (granddaughter of James I.), the next in
succession who held the Protestant faith, was to become sovereign.
Several provisions were inserted which were to take effect from the
accession of the new line:--1. The sovereign must join in communion
with the Church of England. 2. The nation shall not be obliged to go
to war for the defence of any dominions not belonging to the English
crown. 3. No English sovereign shall leave the kingdom without consent
of parliament. 4. All important matters of state are to be transacted
in the privy council, and all resolutions adopted signed by such of
the privy council as shall advise and consent to the same. 5. No
foreigner shall hold any office, civil or military, or receive any
grant from the crown. 6. No person, holding any office or place of
profit under the crown, and receiving a pension therefrom, shall be
capable of sitting in the house of commons. 7. Judges shall hold
office during good behaviour, but they may be removed on address of
both houses of parliament. 8. No pardon under the great seal shall be
pleadable to an impeachment by the Commons. The third provision was
repealed in the first year of George I.'s reign.
ANNE.
=D.= Anne was the second daughter of James II. =B.= at St. James's, 1665.
=M.= Prince George, of Denmark. =Dd.= at Kensington, Aug. 1, 1714. =R.=
12-1/2 years (1702 to 1714).
1702. The earl of Marlborough appointed captain-general of the royal
forces. Lord Godolphin made treasurer--Marlborough and he became
ascendant, and, though nominally Tories, were supported by the Whigs, who
approved of their war policy. WAR OF THE SPANISH SUCCESSION: War declared
against France and Spain.
1703. The duke of Marlborough captured Bonn and other towns.
1704. Gibraltar taken by Sir George Rooke (July 23). =Marlborough and
Prince Eugene gained a splendid victory over the French and Bavarians at
BLENHEIM=, in Bavaria (Aug. 13).
1705. Barcelona captured by the earl of Peterborough (Sept.).
1706. Marlborough gained a great victory over the French at RAMILIES, in
Belgium (May 23).
1707. ACT OF UNION PASSED BETWEEN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. The English and
their allies disastrously defeated at ALMANZA, in Spain, by the duke of
Berwick (April 25). _First United Parliament of Great Britain met_ (Oct.
23).
The chief provisions of the Act of Union were--1, That the succession
of the crown should vest in the Princess Sophia and her heirs, being
Protestants; 2, That both nations should have full freedom of trade,
and should enjoy equal rights and privileges, except where otherwise
agreed; 3, That Scotland should retain the presbyterian church, her
own municipal laws, and her own courts of justice; 4, That the united
kingdom should be governed by one parliament; 5, That 16 peers and 45
commoners should represent Scotland in parliament; 6, That the
regulations relating to trade, customs, and excise, should be the same
in both countries, and that Scotland should only pay one-fortieth of
the land tax paid by England.
1708. The French defeated by Marlborough at OUDENARDE, in Belgium (July
11). Conquest of Minorca. Lille surrendered to the allies after an active
siege. Mrs. Masham was gradually supplanting the duchess of Marlborough as
the queen's favourite, and was intriguing to bring the Tories into power.
1709. The French defeated by Marlborough and Prince Eugene at MALPLAQUET,
in Flanders, but the loss of the victors was greater than that of the
vanquished (Sept. 11).
1710. Dr. Sacheverell tried and convicted for publishing sermons
reflecting on the revolution and the Protestant succession; but the lenity
of the sentence was regarded as a triumph by the High Church party. Mrs.
Masham obtained a complete ascendancy, and the duchess of Marlborough was
dismissed at the beginning of the next year. Lord Godolphin and the other
Whig ministers dismissed; Harley made chancellor of exchequer, and St.
John secretary of state (Aug. 8). The allies, under General Stanhope,
gained the battles of ALMENARA (July 27) and SARAGOSSA (Aug. 20), but he
was afterwards compelled to capitulate at BRIHUEGA (Dec. 9), and General
Staremberg, though nominally victorious at VILLA VICIOSA (Dec. 10), was
obliged to make a forced retreat.
1711. Harley created earl of Oxford, and appointed lord treasurer.
Marlborough forced the lines of the French, and took Bouchain, but was
afterwards removed from office.
1713. ~Treaty of Utrecht~: between France, England, and all her allies,
except the emperor; a treaty most discreditable to the English ministry
(April 11 and July 13).
The terms of this treaty were very much more favourable to the French
than they could have reasonably expected, and than they would have
been, had the Whigs remained in power. Among the principal terms that
concerned England were--1, That the French and Spanish crowns should
never become united; 2, That the Protestant succession should be
acknowledged by France; 3, That the fortifications of Dunkirk should
be destroyed; 4, That Hudson's Bay, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia,
Gibraltar, and Minorca should be ceded to England. The principal
object of the war--the exclusion of the Bourbons from the throne of
Spain--was not secured. At the close of the war the national debt was
about £38,000,000.
1714. Death of the Princess Sophia. _Schism Act_ passed. Harley removed
from office, and succeeded by his colleague St. John, created Viscount
Bolingbroke. He plotted to restore the Pretender on the death of the
queen, but her sudden illness enabled the dukes of Shrewsbury, Somerset,
and Argyle, three of the Whig leaders, to thwart his intentions, for the
lord treasurer's staff was bestowed on the first-mentioned peer--"the only
individual who mainly assisted in both the great changes of dynasty of
1688 and 1714."
The object of the Schism Act was to prevent Dissenters from acting as
tutors or schoolmasters; but it did not come into operation, on
account of the death of the queen.
HOUSE OF HANOVER.
GEORGE I.
=D.= George I. was the son of the Electress Sophia, daughter of Elizabeth.
(Elizabeth was the daughter of James I.) =B.= at Hanover, 1660. =M.=
Sophia Dorothea, of Zell. =Dd.= near Osnabruck, June 10, 1727. =R.= 13
years (1714 to 1727).
1714. The king arrived in England. Lord Townshend appointed chief
minister.
1715. Oxford, Bolingbroke, and Ormond impeached for their conduct in
negotiating the Peace of Utrecht. The first was committed to the Tower;
the other two escaped to the Continent, and were attainted. _Riot Act_
passed. REBELLION IN SCOTLAND, in behalf of the Pretender (son of James
II.), headed by the earl of Mar. Battle of SHERIFFMUIR, Perthshire (Nov.
13), in which the royalists gained a slight advantage. The Pretender
landed at Peterhead (Dec.), but, finding his cause hopeless, he
re-embarked (Feb., 1716).
1716. The earls of Derwentwater and Kenmure, two of the rebels, executed.
_SEPTENNIAL BILL_ passed for extending the duration of parliaments from
three to seven years. General Stanhope (afterwards created earl) and the
earl of Sunderland became chief ministers of the crown.
1718. ~Quadruple Alliance~ between England, France, the emperor, and
Holland, to resist the aggressive policy of Cardinal Alberoni, the chief
minister of Spain. Sir George Byng defeated the Spanish fleet off CAPE
PASSARO, in Sicily (Aug. 11).
1720. The South Sea Company was invested with certain exclusive commercial
privileges, and authorized to take up the whole of the National Debt, so
as to become the sole public creditor.
1721. Robert Walpole and Lord Townshend became the king's principal
ministers.
The £100 shares of the company, by fraudulent means, were raised to
more than £1000; but the bubble soon burst, and ruined thousands of
families. The financial credit of the nation was restored by the
judicious measures of Robert Walpole.
1723. Atterbury, bishop of Rochester, banished for taking part in a
Jacobite conspiracy. Bolingbroke allowed to return.
1725. The earl of Macclesfield, lord chancellor, impeached for selling
offices in Chancery, and misappropriating the money of suitors, widows,
and orphans. He was convicted, and fined £30,000.
1727. The Spaniards besieged Gibraltar, but abandoned the enterprise after
it had lasted four months.
GEORGE II.
=D.= He was the son of George I. =B.= at Hanover, 1683. =M.= Caroline, of
Anspach. =Dd.= at Kensington, Oct 25, 1760. =R.= 33-1/4 years (1727 to
1760).
1730. Sir Robert Walpole became supreme in the government.
1733. Excise bill introduced, but abandoned on account of the violent
opposition which it experienced.
1739. War with Spain. PORTO BELLO, on the Isthmus of Darien, taken by
Admiral Vernon.
1741. Frederick, king of Prussia, invaded Silesia, and thus arose a war
with the empress.
1742. Resignation of Walpole. The earl of Bath and Lord Carteret became
chief ministers. England espoused the cause of the empress against
Prussia; the latter was aided by France.
1743. George II. defeated the French at DETTINGEN, in Bavaria (June 27).
1744. France declared war against Great Britain. Anson returned from his
voyage round the world, during which he inflicted great damage on the
Spaniards. Coalition ministry, of which Henry Pelham was head.
1745. The English and their allies, under the duke of Cumberland, were
defeated at FONTENOY, in Belgium (May 11). Cape Breton taken from the
French. REBELLION IN SCOTLAND in behalf of the Pretender; his son, Charles
Edward, landed, and defeated the royalists at PRESTON PANS, near Edinburgh
(Sept. 21). He invaded England, and proceeded as far as Derby, but
retreated on the advance of the royalists.
1746. The rebels were again victorious at FALKIRK (Jan. 17), but were
completely defeated at CULLODEN, in Inverness-shire (April 16). Charles
escaped to the Continent.
1748. ~Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle~, between England, France, Holland,
Spain, and the emperor (Oct. 7).
The principal articles that concerned England were, that there should
be a mutual restitution of all conquests in every part of the world,
and that the Asiento treaty (or right to supply Spanish America with
slaves) should be renewed for four years. "Not a single point was
gained for which England had been fighting with France and Spain for
eight years."
1752. Alteration of the calendar, and adoption of the new style.
1754. Death of Pelham, who was succeeded by his brother, the duke of
Newcastle.
1756. The French captured Minorca. War declared against France.
COMMENCEMENT OF THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR, in which Prussia was the ally of
England, and Austria of France. Calcutta seized by Surajah Dowiah, and 146
persons confined in a dungeon, known as the Black Hole of Calcutta.
William Pitt appointed premier.
1757. Recapture of Calcutta by the English. Admiral Byng shot for not
attempting to relieve Minorca. Pitt and his colleagues dismissed, but the
duke of Newcastle and he coalesced (June), and thus began what may be
strictly called PITT'S ADMINISTRATION, though Newcastle was the nominal
head. Clive gained the battle of PLASSEY (June 23), and thus laid the
=FOUNDATION OF OUR INDIAN EMPIRE=.
1758. The English captured Fort Louis and the island of Goree, in Africa;
and Cape Breton, Prince Edward's Island, and Fort Duquesne (afterwards
called Pittsburgh), in America.
1759. =The most glorious year, perhaps, that England had ever seen.=
Guadaloupe captured. The French defeated at the battle of MINDEN, in
Prussia (Aug. 1). Admiral Boscawen defeated the French fleet off LAGOS, in
Portugal (Aug. 18). =General Wolfe gained a decisive victory at= QUEBEC,
but was mortally wounded (Sept. 13). Sir Edward Hawke almost annihilated
the French fleet in QUIBERON BAY (Nov. 20).
1760. Colonel Coote defeated the French at WANDEWASH, in the Carnatic
(Jan. 22). Surrender of Montreal and =complete conquest of Canada=.
GEORGE III.
=D.= He was the son of Frederick, prince of Wales (who died in 1751), and
grandson of George II. =B.= in London, 1738. =M.= Charlotte, of
Mecklenburg Strelitz. =Dd.= at Windsor, Jan. 29, 1820. =R.= 59-1/4 years
(1760 to 1820).
1761. Capture of Pondicherry, Dominica, and Belle Isle. Pitt resigned
office because the government declined to declare war against Spain.
1762. War declared against Spain for forming an alliance with France.
Capture of Martinique, Grenada, and other isles. Bute became premier.
Havannah, the capital of Cuba, and Manilla, the capital of the
Philippines, taken from Spain.
1763. ~Treaty of Paris~, between England, France, and Spain (Feb. 10).
Grenville appointed premier. John Wilkes prosecuted for a libel in the
"North Briton," and expelled from parliament the next year. General
warrants declared illegal.
By this treaty England recovered, in Europe, Minorca, and restored
Belle Isle; in America, she restored Martinique and Guadaloupe, but
kept her other conquests; Spain gave up Florida for Havannah, and
recovered the Philippines without compensation. This war raised the
national debt to about £138,000,000.
1764. Restraints placed by England on the American trade with the Spanish
and French colonies.
1765. _American Stamp Act_ passed, imposing a duty on stamps. The marquess
of Rockingham became premier.
1766. Repeal of the American Stamp Act. The duke of Grafton became
premier, but Pitt, created earl of Chatham, was the chief member of the
cabinet.
1767. Illness of Pitt, who was unable to transact any public business.
=Townshend=, the most able minister in his absence, introduced and
=carried a bill imposing duties in the British colonies on glass, paper,
painters' colours, and tea=.
1769. Letters of Junius commenced in the "Public Advertiser."
1770. Lord North became premier. All the duties imposed on America, except
that on tea, repealed.
1773. Cargoes of tea thrown overboard by an organized mob at Boston, in
America.
1775. =THE AMERICAN WAR.= Skirmish between the royal troops and the
colonists at Lexington (April 19). The colonies took the title of the
United Colonies, and assumed the functions of sovereignty. =Washington
appointed commander-in-chief.= Victory of the English at BUNKER'S HILL
(June 17). The Americans invaded Canada.
1776. =Declaration of American Independence= (July 4). The English gained
a victory at Brooklyn (Aug. 27).
1777. The English victorious at Brandywine (Sept. 11). CONVENTION OF
SARATOGA; Burgoyne's army of 5,700 men capitulated--the first great
disaster experienced by the English in the American war (Oct. 17).
1778. France recognized the United States, and war consequently ensued.
Death of the earl of Chatham. Capture of Pondicherry by the English.
1779. Spain joined in the war against England, and blockaded Gibraltar.
1780. Rodney defeated the Spaniards off Cape ST. VINCENT, and temporarily
relieved Gibraltar (Jan. 16). Charleston, the capital of South Carolina,
capitulated to the English (May 12); and later in the year they gained a
decisive victory at Camden (Aug. 16). Gordon Riots in London, directed
against the Catholics. Major André executed by the Americans as a spy.
COMMENCEMENT OF THE WAR IN THE CARNATIC WITH HYDER ALI.
1781. Sir Eyre Coote gained a brilliant victory over Hyder Ali at PORTO
NOVO (July 1). CAPITULATION OF YORK TOWN; Lord Cornwallis's army
surrendered to the Americans--virtual close of the war (Oct. 19).
Negapatam, in the Carnatic, taken from the Dutch.
1782. Minorca taken by the Spaniards. The marquess of Rockingham became
premier, and on his death Lord Shelburne. =Sir George Rodney gained a
splendid victory over the French fleet in the West Indies= (April 12).
Unsuccessful bombardment of Gibraltar. =Independence of the United States
recognized= (Nov.).
1783. Coalition ministry of Lord North and Charles James Fox. This
ministry dismissed, and William Pitt (son of the earl of Chatham)
appointed premier. ~Treaty of Versailles~, between England, France, Spain,
and America (Sept. 3).
By this treaty, the preliminaries of which were signed during the
Shelburne administration, England recovered from France, Grenada, St.
Vincent, Dominica, St. Christopher's, Nevis, and Montserrat, and ceded
St. Lucia and Tobago. France recovered some possessions in Africa and
the East Indies; and Minorca and the Floridas were ceded to Spain. The
independence of the United States, acknowledged the year before, was
formally recognized by this treaty. At the close of this war the
national debt was about £240,000,000.
1787. Warren Hastings, who had been governor-general for several years,
impeached on account of some of his proceedings in India. His trial began
in 1788, and was not concluded till 1795, when he was acquitted.
1789. COMMENCEMENT OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION.
1793. Execution of Louis XVI. France declared war against England.
Napoleon Buonaparte first distinguished himself at the siege of Toulon.
1794. Capture of most of the French West Indies. Lord Howe gained a
decisive victory over the Brest fleet (June 1).
1795. War with Holland, and =capture of the Cape of Good Hope=, as well as
nearly all the Dutch East Indies.
1796. =Spain declared war against England.=
1797. Sir John Jervis defeated the Spanish fleet off CAPE ST. VINCENT
(Feb. 14). Mutinies of the fleet at Spithead and at the Nore. The Dutch
defeated by Admiral Duncan off CAMPERDOWN (Oct. 11).
1798. IRISH REBELLION. The rebels defeated several times, and the
rebellion suppressed. Battle of THE NILE, in which Nelson almost destroyed
the French fleet (Aug. 1).
1799. Generals Harris and Baird besieged and captured SERINGAPATAM: Tippoo
Saib killed (May 4). Buonaparte unsuccessfully besieged Acre, which was
defended by Sir Sidney Smith. He returned to France, and was declared
First Consul.
1800. =The Irish parliament agreed to a legislative union with England.=
Malta taken from the French (Sept. 5). Maritime confederacy formed against
England by Russia, Prussia, Sweden, and Denmark.
1801. UNION OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. Mr. Addington succeeded Pitt as
premier. The French defeated by the English at ALEXANDRIA (Mar. 21).
Battle of =COPENHAGEN= (April 2); this victory, and the assassination of
the emperor Paul, broke up the maritime confederacy.