17 ore 9 min, 11 apr 1689 anni - William III's ascension to King of England

Descrizione:

The ascension of William III, Prince of Orange and Stadholder of the Dutch Republic, on 11 April 1689, marked the end of a tumultuous half century for England. Starting in 1635, when Charles invaded Scotland to stop the Presbyterian Covenanters from resisting the universal adoption of the book of common prayer, proceeding into the republican takeover in 1649, the restoration in 1662 and finally the glorious revolution in 1688, England had at once seen turmoil and conflict at home, but glory abroad, becoming a major coalition member in Louis XIV's anti-Dutch coalition of 1672. Now, with the final establishment of Protestantism as England's national religion. The Glorious Revolution also had an unintended consequence: the wealth that had built up in holland since 1450 began to move across the English Channel, and London fast became the world's financial capital. Even more importantly, the Glorious Revolution also created a constitutional monarchy, Europes first. The Bill of Rights of 1688 was one of the most progressive legal documents in European History, and cleared the way for subsequent revolutions to come. The establishment of a true system of "rule of law" in England paved the way for economic prosperity, secured by a vibrant democracy and rising middle class.