The Demise of the Divine Right of Kings, the Decline of Monarchic Power, and the Rise of Parliament, 1689–1775

The period of English and British history that this chapter places under a political–economic microscope embraces the reigns of six monarchs—William III and Mary II (1689–1694), William III (1694–1702), Anne I (1702–1714), George I (1714–1727), George II (1727–1760), and George III (1760–1820). The period also embraces two royal dynasties—the House of Stuart (1699–1714) and the House of Hanover (1714–1901). The monotonic though uneven decline in absolutist monarchical power is the particular focus of this chapter.