Glorious Revolution in Scotland

The Glorious Revolution in Scotland refers to the Scottish element of the 1688 Glorious Revolution, in which James VII was replaced by his daughter Mary II and her husband William III as joint monarchs of Scotland and England. Prior to 1707, the two kingdoms shared a common monarch but were separate legal entities, so decisions in one did not bind the other. In both countries, the Revolution confirmed the primacy of Parliament over the Crown,^[1] while the Church of Scotland was re-established as a Presbyterian rather than Episcopalian polity.

Although James became king in February 1685 with widespread support in both countries, tolerance for his personal Catholicism did not apply to the religion in general.^[2] When the Parliaments of England and Scotland refused to rescind legal restrictions on Catholics, James suspended them and ruled by decree.^[3] The birth of a Catholic heir in June 1688 caused widespread civil disorder in Scotland and England and a coalition of English politicians and soldiers issued an Invitation to William. They agreed to support Dutch military intervention in order to enforce Mary's rights as heir to the English throne; on 5 November 1688, William landed in South-West England and James fled to France on 23 December.

Despite Scotland's lack of involvement in the Invitation, the veteran Scots Brigade formed part of the Dutch invasion force and Scots were prominent on both sides. Many of William's advisors were Protestant exiles like Leven and Melville, while James' closest counsellors were two Scots Catholics, the Earl of Perth and his brother Melfort. On 7 January 1689, the Scottish Privy Council asked William to act as regent pending election of a Convention of the Estates of Scotland. In February 1689, William and Mary were appointed joint monarchs of England and in March, the Convention met to agree a similar settlement for Scotland.

While the Revolution was quick and relatively bloodless in England, a Scottish rising in support of James caused significant casualties and Jacobitism persisted as a political force until the mid-18th century. In 2016, one of the Revolution's amendments, the Claim of Right Act 1689, was referenced in legal arguments as to whether Scotland was bound by Brexit.^[4]