Convention of Estates (1689) in the context of "Jacobite risings"

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⭐ Core Definition: Convention of Estates (1689)

The 1689 Convention of Estates sat between 16 March 1689 and 5 June 1689 to determine the settlement of the Scottish throne, following the deposition of James VII (II of England) following the Dutch invasion by "force of arms" by Prince William of Orange and his wife Mary (daughter of James II) in the "so called" English 1688 Glorious Revolution. The Convention of the Estates of Scotland a sister-institution to Parliament of Scotland, comprising the three estates of bishops, barons and representatives of the Scots burghs. Historically, it had been summoned by the king of Scots for the limited purpose of raising taxes, and could not pass other legislation. Unlike the English Convention Parliament of 1689, the 1689 Scottish Convention was also a contest for control of the Church of Scotland or Kirk.

Scotland played no part in the landing and Dutch invasion by "force of arms" by Prince William of Orange and his wife Mary (daughter of James II) in England and there was little enthusiasm for William and Mary, by November 1688 only a tiny minority actively supported James. Many of William of Orange's exile advisors were Scots, including Melville, Argyll, his personal chaplain, William Carstares, and Gilbert Burnet, his chief propagandist. News of James's flight led to celebrations and anti-Catholic riots in Edinburgh and Glasgow and on 7 January 1689, the Scottish Privy Council asked William to take over, pending a Constitutional Convention to agree a settlement.

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Convention of Estates (1689) in the context of Jacobitism

Jacobitism was a political ideology advocating the restoration of the senior line of the House of Stuart to the British throne. When James II of England chose exile after the November 1688 Glorious Revolution, the Parliament of England ruled he had "abandoned" the English throne, which was given to his Protestant daughter Mary II of England, and his nephew, her husband William III. On the same basis, in April the Scottish Convention awarded Mary and William the throne of Scotland.

The Revolution created the principle of a contract between monarch and people, which if violated meant the monarch could be removed. A key tenet of Jacobitism was that kings were appointed by God, making the post-1688 regime illegitimate. However, it also functioned as an outlet for popular discontent, and thus was a complex mix of ideas, many opposed by the Stuarts themselves. Conflict between Prince Charles and Scottish Jacobites over the Acts of Union 1707 and divine right seriously undermined the 1745 rising.

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Convention of Estates (1689) in the context of Convention Parliament (1689)

The English Convention was an assembly of the Parliament of England which met between 22 January and 12 February 1689 (1688 old style, so its legislation was labelled with that earlier year) and transferred the crowns of England and Ireland from James II to William III and Mary II.

A parallel Scottish Convention met in March 1689 and confirmed that the throne of Scotland was also to be awarded to William and Mary.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Jacobitism ← Convention Parliament (1689) ← Jacobite risings
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Parliament House, Edinburgh → Kingdom of Scotland → James II of England → Glorious Revolution in Scotland → Convention of the Estates of Scotland → Parliament of Scotland → Bishops in the Church of Scotland → Barons in Scotland → Burghs → Convention Parliament (1689) → Church of Scotland → George Melville, 1st Earl of Melville → Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll → William Carstares → Gilbert Burnet → Scottish Privy Council →