British Culture - User contributions [en]

Mary II

2009-05-11T19:56:29Z

InaBlascyk:

lived from 1662-94 and was the eldest child of [[James II]] and his first wife Lady Anne Hyde.

Although her parents were Catholics, Mary was brought up a Protestant and married William of Orange (later [[William III]]), her cousin, in 1677. As Mary's father tried to re-catholise England more and more, Mary and William were asked for help. Thus William "invaded" England on November the 5th in 1688. In 1689, Mary became Queen, joint sovereign with her husband respectively. She acted as William's mouthpiece in his European absences and had great influence concerning e.g. ecclesiastical issues.

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sources: The Companion to British History; Encyclopaedia Britannica ([http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/367538/Mary-II])

Whigs

2009-05-11T19:29:54Z

InaBlascyk:

The Whigs were one of the two main political parties in Britain between the 17th and the 19th century, transmuted into the Liberals in the 19th century.

The term itself derives from the Scottish word "whiggamore" which means something like thief or plunderer. This denomination was given to the members of the party in the 17th century by the Tories during Exclusion Crisis to brand the opponents of the duke of York.

The Whigs put great emphasis on parliamentary authority. They thought that political authority derived from the people. Thus, if the monarch did not care about their interests, they might resist him. So, they played an important role in the Glorious Revolution.

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sources: Oxford Companion to British History; The Companion to British History

Squire

2009-05-11T19:05:54Z

InaBlascyk:

According to the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English, a Squire was "a man of high social status who owned most of the land in a particular country area". Originally the word just means "attendant of a knight". Thus it had a great connotation with battlefield. But by Tudor times its terminology changed so that then "squire" or "esquire" referred to the lord of a manor.

In fact, the "esquire" is one of the four groups of the gentry. Members of that group had a lower status than the nobility but were socially far above the yeomen. In the 14th century the monarch could confer the honor of being a member of the squire and by the 16th century the squire got certain offices like "Justice of the Peace".

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sources: Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English; Oxford Companion to British History