📕 Chapter 3: A Long and Illustrious History
Why was James II unpopular?
Correct answer: He was Catholic and people feared he would restore Catholicism
A He raised taxes
✓ He was Catholic and people feared he would restore Catholicism
C He started a war with France
D He dissolved Parliament
💡 Explanation
James II was unpopular because he was Catholic and people feared he would restore Catholicism.
Key facts to remember
- James II was Catholic; people feared restoration of Catholicism
- Birth of Catholic heir prompted action
- William of Orange invited to invade England
- William landed 1688; James fled — bloodless revolution
- William III and Mary II became joint monarchs
- Established Parliament's supreme authority over the monarch
Why this is the answer
From the official Life in the UK study material — 3.3.11 The Glorious Revolution 1688:
When Charles II died in 1685, his brother James II became king. James was a Catholic, and many people feared he would try to restore Catholicism in England. When James's wife gave birth to a son (meaning a Catholic heir), leading Protestants invited William of Orange (a Dutch Protestant married to James's daughter Mary) to invade England.
William landed in England in 1688 with a large army. James II fled to France without a fight. This bloodless transfer of power is known as the Glorious Revolution. William and Mary became joint monarchs — William III and Mary II. The Glorious Revolution established the principle that Parliament, not the monarch, had supreme authority.
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