In Our Time: History

The Glorious Revolution


Listen Later

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the the Glorious Revolution. In 1688, with a fair wind behind him and no naval opposition in front, William of Orange and his Dutch fleet sailed safely into Torbay on the South coast and thus began a period of history known - in England at least - as The Glorious Revolution. The story goes that the English, fed up with their Catholic King James II and alarmed at the prospect of a Catholic succession, ‘invited’ William to come to England and save Parliament, Protestantism and the rights of ordinary citizens. William was cheered all the way to London where, with the backing of Parliament and the people, he and his wife Mary were installed as joint sovereign monarchs of England, Ireland and Scotland. Victorian historians like Macaulay claimed that this was the era that defined British democracy, but how much of the spirit of 1688 is enwrapped within our unwritten Constitution? Were the events of 1688 really either Glorious or Revolutionary?With John Spurr, Reader in History at the University of Wales, Swansea; Rosemary Sweet, Lecturer in Economic and Social History at the University of Leicester; Scott Mandelbrote, Fellow and Director of Studies at Peterhouse, Cambridge.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

In Our Time: HistoryBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

1,833 ratings


More shows like In Our Time: History

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,878 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,075 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,580 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,800 Listeners

HistoryExtra podcast by Immediate

HistoryExtra podcast

3,201 Listeners

In Our Time: Philosophy by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Philosophy

873 Listeners

In Our Time: Culture by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Culture

619 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

752 Listeners

The History Hour by BBC World Service

The History Hour

589 Listeners

In Our Time: Religion by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Religion

281 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,752 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,037 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,010 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

493 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,811 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,218 Listeners

The Missing Cryptoqueen by BBC Sounds

The Missing Cryptoqueen

1,026 Listeners

The Ancients by History Hit

The Ancients

3,356 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,011 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

15,516 Listeners

Gone Medieval by History Hit

Gone Medieval

1,905 Listeners

Not Just the Tudors by History Hit

Not Just the Tudors

2,066 Listeners

Empire: World History by Goalhanger

Empire: World History

2,541 Listeners