"Acts" of Toleration
Despite many of his Protestant subjects' efforts to prevent it,
James II (1633-1701) ascended to the throne in 1685, the first openly
Catholic king since Queen Mary I. In an attempt to ensure toleration
for his Catholic subjects, James issued a sweeping Declaration of
Indulgence in 1687 granting liberty of conscience and freedom of
religious worship to all. In spite of its comprehensiveness, James's
declaration was greeted with suspicion by many Dissenters. James's
absolutist tendencies and the birth of his son seemed to presage
a re-Catholicisation of England. In desperation, members of the
nobility and the clergy invited James's son-in-law, William of Orange,
to depose him and assume the throne. William's successful invasion
in 1688 seemed a "Glorious" deliverance to many Protestants,
especially when it was followed by his Indulgence Bill (1689) which
dismantled the penalties against Dissenters and permitted them to
worship in public. William's "Toleration Act" excluded
Catholics and was more limited in scope than his predecessor's attempt,
but it marked a turning point in the history of toleration in England.
England and Wales. Sovereign (1685-1688: James II)
His Majesties gracious declaration to all his loving subjects for liberty of conscience
London, 1687
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William Penn was one of the most vociferous supporters of James II's promise of religious liberty to his subjects. As a voice for liberty of conscience Penn, was tireless in his efforts to convince the British people of the immorality and futility of persecution.
William
Penn (1644-1718)
Considerations moving to a toleration, and liberty of conscience
London, 1685
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