Which monarch attempted to model his reign after Louis XIV, centralize power, and married a Catholic wife, sparking concerns that contributed to the Glorious Revolution?

Which monarch attempted to model his reign after Louis XIV, centralize power, and married a Catholic wife, sparking concerns that contributed to the Glorious Revolution?

• A. James II
• B. Charles II
• C. William III
• D. Oliver Cromwell

Answer: (A)

This question tests how some monarchs tried to concentrate royal power and use religion to shape politics, and how those moves unsettled Parliament and Protestant leaders enough to trigger a major constitutional shift. James II attempted to model his reign like Louis XIV by centralizing authority—seeking to rule with fewer checks from Parliament and to place trusted officials in key positions—while also embracing Catholicism in his court and policy. His marriage to Mary of Modena, a Catholic, intensified fears about a Catholic succession and a Catholic-dominated government, fueling concerns that the crown would override parliamentary limits and religious tolerance for Protestants. These worries helped push the country toward the Glorious Revolution, when Parliament invited William of Orange and his wife, Mary II, to take the throne, leading to the establishment of a constitutional framework that limited royal power. Charles II did not pursue the same level of centralized, Catholic-aligned rule; Oliver Cromwell was a republican military leader rather than a monarch pursuing such a policy, and William III’s reign followed after the revolution and reinforced the constitutional settlement rather than triggering it through a Catholic marriage.

This question tests how some monarchs tried to concentrate royal power and use religion to shape politics, and how those moves unsettled Parliament and Protestant leaders enough to trigger a major constitutional shift. James II attempted to model his reign like Louis XIV by centralizing authority—seeking to rule with fewer checks from Parliament and to place trusted officials in key positions—while also embracing Catholicism in his court and policy. His marriage to Mary of Modena, a Catholic, intensified fears about a Catholic succession and a Catholic-dominated government, fueling concerns that the crown would override parliamentary limits and religious tolerance for Protestants.

These worries helped push the country toward the Glorious Revolution, when Parliament invited William of Orange and his wife, Mary II, to take the throne, leading to the establishment of a constitutional framework that limited royal power. Charles II did not pursue the same level of centralized, Catholic-aligned rule; Oliver Cromwell was a republican military leader rather than a monarch pursuing such a policy, and William III’s reign followed after the revolution and reinforced the constitutional settlement rather than triggering it through a Catholic marriage.