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 362 General History oj Europe regardless of what it might cost him. Mary, James's daughter by his first wife, had married her cousin, William III, Prince of Orange, 1 the head of the United Netherlands, as Holland was called. The English nation might have tolerated James so long as they could look forward to the accession of his Protestant daughter. But when a son was born to his Catholic second wife, and James showed unmistakably his purpose of favoring the Catholics, messengers were dispatched by a group of Protestants to William of Orange, asking him to come and rule over them. 620. The Revolution of 1688 and the Accession of Wil- liam III (1688-1702). W T illiam landed in November, 1688, and marched upon London, where he received general support from all the English Protestants, regardless of party. James II started to oppose William, but his army refused to fight and his courtiers deserted him. James fled to France, and a new Parliament declared the throne vacant. 621. The Bill of Rights (1689). A Bill of Rights was then drawn up, appointing William and Mary joint sovereigns. The Bill of Rights, which is an important monument in English con- stitutional history, once more stated the fundamental rights of the English nation and the limitations which the Petition of Right and the Great Charter of King John had placed upon the king (377, 600). By this peaceful revolution the English rid them- selves of the Stuarts and their claims to rule by divine right, the powers of Parliament were once more established, and the Catholic question was practically settled by the dethroning of a king who openly favored the rule of the Pope. The Toleration Act was passed by Parliament, which freed Dissenters from all penalties for failing to attend services in Anglican churches and allowed them to have their own meetings. Even Catholics, while not included in the act of toleration, were permitted to hold services undisturbed by the government. 1 Son of Charles I's daughter, Mary, who had married William, Prince of Orange.