Convention Parliament (1689)
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| Convention Parliament (1689) | |
|---|---|
.png) Sodacan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source | |
| Name | Convention Parliament (1689) |
| Country | England |
| Convened | 1689 |
| Dissolved | 1690 |
| Chambers | House of Commons of England, House of Lords |
| Preceding | Loyal Parliament (1685) |
| Succeeding | English Parliament of 1690 |
Convention Parliament (1689) The Convention Parliament of 1689 was the assembly that resolved the Glorious Revolution crisis by determining the succession of the English Crown and articulating constraints on monarchical power. It followed the flight of James II of England to France and produced the Declaration of Right and the Bill of Rights 1689, which shaped the relationship between the Monarchy of England, Parliament of England, and the English legal system. The Convention’s acts influenced the development of the constitutional monarchy in the British Isles and impacted political thought across Europe and North America.
Background and Prelude
Political and religious tensions in the 1680s pitted supporters of James II of England against proponents of Anglicanism, Presbyterianism, and Whig and Tory factions. The birth of James Francis Edward Stuart sparked fears of a Catholic dynasty amid alliances with Louis XIV of France and involvement in the War of the Grand Alliance. Opposition coalesced around figures such as William III of Orange, stadtholder of the Dutch Republic and son-in-law of Charles II of England, and his propagandists including John Locke and pamphleteers linked to the Glorious Revolution. The invitation to William by the Immortal Seven—including Earl of Shrewsbury and Earl of Danby—led to the landing at Torbay and the collapse of James’s authority, creating a constitutional crisis resolved by summoning a parliamentary assembly without royal writ.
Summoning and Composition
The Convention was summoned by the Prince of Orange's supporters and local authorities in the absence of a monarch’s formal summons, bringing together members associated with the House of Commons of England and the House of Lords. Its composition included leading Whig and Tory politicians: peers such as the Earl of Danby, the Marquess of Halifax, and the Duke of Shrewsbury; Commons figures like Sir John Somers, Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, Sir William Williams, and Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax. Clerical representation featured bishops displaced by James, while legal minds from the Court of King’s Bench, Court of Common Pleas, and the Inner Temple and Middle Temple shaped debates. The Convention also reflected interests from Scotland, Ireland, and the City of London, with merchants, lawyers, and landed gentry prominent among delegates.
Proceedings and Debates
Debates in the Convention revolved around whether James had abdicated, the legality of a parliament convened without royal writ, and the terms on which the crown could be offered to William III and Mary II of England. Key advocates such as Sir Edward Coke’s legal tradition and the writings of Hugo Grotius and John Locke were invoked alongside precedent from the Magna Carta and the Petition of Right. Negotiations involved leading politicians—Sir John Churchill, Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, and Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland—and judges including Sir Matthew Hale’s acolytes. Proceedings addressed military loyalties involving commanders from the Royal Navy and regiments raised in Scotland and Ireland, while foreign policy implications intersected with relations with the Dutch Republic, France, and the Holy Roman Empire.
Declaration of Right and the Bill of Rights 1689
The Convention produced the Declaration of Right, laying out alleged violations by James II of England and setting limits on monarchical prerogatives. That document formed the basis for the statutory Bill of Rights 1689, which prohibited royal suspension of laws, levying of taxes without parliamentary consent, and maintaining a standing army in peacetime without Parliamentary approval. The text referenced principles associated with Habeas Corpus Act 1679 precedents, the Petition of Right (1628), and judgments from cases such as those influenced by Sir Edward Coke. The Bill of Rights also addressed succession and affirmed parliamentary supremacy on issues like election and freedom of speech in the House of Commons of England.
Settlement of the Crown and William and Mary
After determining that James II of England had effectively abdicated, the Convention resolved to offer the throne to William III of Orange and his wife Mary II of England as joint sovereigns under conditions set by Parliament. Negotiations produced the Coronation oath arrangements and settled titles and powers vis-à-vis the Crown of England, the Church of England, and the legal establishment. The settlement altered the dynastic claims involving the House of Stuart and the exiled Jacobite cause led by figures like James Francis Edward Stuart, while shaping Anglo-Dutch relations and alliances such as the Grand Alliance against Louis XIV of France.
Legislative and Constitutional Impact
Legislation emanating from the Convention and subsequent parliamentary sessions redefined the balance between the Monarchy of England and Parliament of England, influencing later statutes like the Act of Settlement 1701 and institutions including the Bank of England and fiscal measures championed by Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax and William Paterson (economist). The Convention’s principles informed constitutional theorists—John Locke, Hugo Grotius, and Samuel Pufendorf—and shaped practices in the British Isles, the American colonies, and European states contemplating constitutional limits on sovereigns. Judicial developments in the King’s Bench and parliamentary procedures in the House of Commons of England reflected the Convention’s precedent for resolving succession and rights.
Legacy and Historical Interpretation
Historians debate whether the Convention represented a legal revolution or a pragmatic settlement, with interpretations offered by scholars tracing links to the Glorious Revolution in Britain, Whig history, and revisionist accounts emphasizing continuity with earlier Tudor and Stuart precedents. The Convention’s enactments influenced later constitutional milestones—the Act of Union 1707, the American Revolution, and modern constitutional monarchies—and remain central to discussions of parliamentary sovereignty, rights protected by statute, and the development of the British constitution. The event continues to be analyzed in relation to figures such as John Locke, William III of Orange, Mary II of England, James II of England, and institutions including the Parliament of England, the Church of England, and the Royal Navy.