The reign of Charles II also saw the beginning of the
modern party system in Parliament. Two opposing parties took shape, very
largely out of a religious controversy. The king, from his long life in France,
had become partial to Roman Catholicism, though he did not formally embrace
that faith until at the moment of death. His brother James, the heir to the
throne, became an open Roman Catholic, however, much to the disgust of many
members of Parliament. A bill was now brought forward to exclude Prince James
from the succession, because of his conversion. Its supporters received the
nickname of Whigs, while those who opposed it were called Tories. [27] The bill
did not pass the House of Lords, but the two parties in Parliament continued to
divide on other questions. They survive to-day as the Liberals and the
Conservatives, and still dispute the government of England between them.
[27] Whig had originally been applied to rebellious
Presbyterians in Scotland; Tory had designated Roman Catholic outlaws in
Ireland.
REIGN OF JAMES II, 1685-1688 A.D.
James II was without the attractive personality which had
made his brother a popular ruler; moreover, he was an avowed Roman Catholic and
a staunch believer in the divine right of kings. During his three years' reign,
James managed to make enemies of most of his Protestant subjects. He
"suspended" the laws against Roman Catholics and appointed them to
positions of authority and influence. James also dismissed Parliament and
supported himself with subsidies from Louis XIV. At last a number of Whig and
Tory leaders, representing both parties in Parliament, invited that sturdy
Protestant, William of Orange, [28] to rescue England from Stuart absolutism.
[28] William had married James's eldest
daughter, Mary.
