James II possessed none of his brother Charles II's
subtlety. He was passionate in support of his divine right
to rule - and compounded his arrogance with an over-
riding ambition to re-establish the Catholic Church in
England.
Although welcomed by the Tories, James' proposals to
repeal various acts that kept Catholics out of positions of power,
together with his expansion of the army under Catholic officers, led to months of conflict with Parliament. In response, he suspended Parliament and attempted to pack a new Commons with Dissenters and Catholics. And twice he issued a Declaration of Indulgence, suspending penal laws against Catholics and Dissenters. The final straw - even for moderates - came with the trial of seven bishops who had petitioned
