Chapter 24 Flashcards
Why did William agree on a cabinet style of government?
It allowed for the effective coordination of military, diplomatic, and financial policies that enabled him to fight the Nine Years War.
What did the rise in the influence of the cabinet lead to?
A diminution of the importance of the court as a political forum.
What convention was established in the 1690s?
Appropriation - parliament specifying the purpose for which their grants will be used for.
When was the Triennial Act passed under William and Mary?
1694
What did the Triennial Act state?
That parliament will meet annually and hold general elections every three years; the monarchs were therefore prevented from ruling without parliament.
When was William’s first parliament?
1690-95
When was the Act of Grace passed?
May 1690
What did the Act of Grace do?
Pardoned those who had deposed James II.
When was the Commission of Public Accounts set up?
December 1690
What did the Commission of Public Accounts do?
Their job was to review state finances.
What did the Commission of Public Accounts do in their first report in November 1691?
Criticised the government for wasting money and recommended cuts in the army and navy.
Who chose the members of the Commission of Public Accounts?
Parliament, not the monarch, therefore limiting the power of the Crown.
How much did parliament grant William in 1690-91?
£4,600,000
Why did parliament make William such a large grant of money at the start of his reign?
Because of the fear that Louis XIV and James II posed a serious threat to national safety, and they needed defeating.
Why were the Junto Whigs able to fund William’s war effort?
They had links to the City of London.
What did the Million Loan Act do?
Provided William with a loan of £1 million that would be repaid from new parliamentary taxes.
What was the function of the Bank of England?
To loan money to the Crown at interest.
When did Mary die?
December 1694
Why did Mary’s death prompt criticism from some Tories?
Because they had been willing to accept William’s rule because of the presence of Mary; with her gone their support for William faded.
What did William do in response to criticism of his government following Mary’s death?
He dissolved Parliament in 1695.
Why did the ‘country’, represented by the Tories, oppose the war?
Because their taxes were increasing to fund it.
What gave the Junto Whigs an advantage over the Tories in the second parliament?
The assassination attempt on William and the subsequent oath of allegiance which many Tories refused to agree to led to the promotion of many Whigs in government.
What undermined the influence of the Junto Whigs?
The signing of the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697.
Why did the Treaty of Ryswick undermine the influence of the Junto Whigs?
Because their financing of William’s war effort was what gave them influence over him; with the war gone so was their influence.
When was William’s third parliament?
1698-1700
What did most MPs favour at the start of the William’s third parliament?
A reduction of the standing army since they were now in a time of peace.
When was the Disbanding Bill passed?
January 1699
What did the Disbanding Bill do?
Reduce the army to 7000 soldiers.
What did Parliament vote to give the Crown every year in 1698?
£700,000
What was the Civil List?
The granting of £700,000 a year to the Crown to cover government costs.
What did the establishment of the Civil List in 1698 end?
It ended the idea that the Crown should ‘live off its own’.
What did the Act of Settlement do?
Excluded 57 Catholic heirs to the throne in favour of the Protestant Sophia of Hanover.
What prompted the passing of the Act of Settlement in 1701?
Mary’s sister Anne had one surviving son, but after he died parliament wanted to ensure the line of succession would be Protestant.
When was the Abjuration Act passed?
1702
What did the Abjuration Act require?
That all MPs and government officials deny allegiance to James II and his descendants.
When did William of Orange die and Anne become Queen?
March 1702
Why was William willing to allow the development of parliamentary power?
Because it would win him support from Parliament who would therefore fund his war with France.
What led to the development of cabinet government?
The need for a more coherent relationship between the direction of war and its administration.
When was the Bill of Rights passed?
December 1689
