James II Throws Great Seal

Date: December 11, 1688 • Location: Canvey Island, United Kingdom

Glorious Revolution: James II of England, while trying to flee to France, throws the Great Seal of the Realm into the River Thames.

The Glorious Revolution was the deposition of King James II of England in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II and her Dutch husband, James's nephew William III of Orange. The two ruled as joint monarchs of England, Scotland, and Ireland until Mary's death in 1694, when William became ruler in his own right. Jacobitism, the political movement that aimed to restore the exiled James or his descendants of the House of Stuart to the throne, persisted into the late 18th century. Some historians consider William's invasion the last successful invasion of England.