The Glorious Revolution And The Divine Rights Theory

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THE GLORIOUS REVOLUTION AND THE END OF THE DIVINE RIGHTS THEORY

KRITHIKA KATARIA
BA.LLB
1ST YEAR
INTRODUCTION

The Glorious Revolution that occurred in England was a peaceful and bloodless revolution .It holds great political and constitutional significance in the history of England. As a result of this revolution Divine rule or despotic rule was replaced by the Rule of Law and the supremacy of the parliament was established in UK once again. Divine rule by the king which vested complete powers in the hand of the king regarding the king as a representative of God himself was what was being followed for years together in England. In England several factors led up to the growing differences between the parliament and the monarch
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As a result of this revolution Divine rule or despotic rule was replaced by the Rule of Law and the supremacy of the parliament was established in UK once again. Divine rule by the king which vested complete powers in the hand of the king regarding the king as a representative of God himself was what was being followed for years together in England. In England several factors led up to the growing differences between the parliament and the monarch who possessed divine powers which eventually led to the dissent of the divine rights rule and the uprising of the Glorious Revolution. The reasons for the end of the divine rights rule and the events leading up to the glorious revolution are discussed in detail in the …show more content…
It is etched in the memory of many as the revolution that paved way for the development of democracy in England. It refers to the events of 1688- 1689 which are also widely known as the English revolution or the Bloodless revolution. It is the period when King James II of England and Ireland, was deposed and the sovereignty was conferred on William of Orange and his wife Mary. It was a turning point in the history of England as the parliament succeeded in destroying the divine right theory of kingship that prevailed earlier in England and other parts of Europe. The several factors that led to this revolution and its impact on the history of England and elsewhere is discussed elaborately later in this project.

EVENTS LEADING TO THE GLORIOUS REVOLUTION AND END OF DIVINE RIGHT THEORY

Political theory refers to the balance of power between the people and the state. Divine right rule that was prevailent in England was at an extreme example of the political theory. It was hence obvious that it was unsustainable unless the powers are divided between the people and state and an equilibrium is attained. And for this reason it wasn’t surprising to watch the slow demise of the divine right rule in different countries as people became better equipped with knowledge regarding their rights and duties. In England the end of the divine rights rule witnessed the beginning of the truly

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