Editing Glorious Revolution (section)

==The collapse of James's rule==
{{Location map many|England south |caption = Key locations in November 1688|relief=yes|border = black| width = 320|float=right
|label   = Salisbury|pos=right|coordinates={{Coord|51.074|-1.7936}}
|label2  = Faversham|pos2=bottom|coordinates2={{Coord|51.3177|0.8928}}
|label3  = London |pos3=right|coordinates3={{Coord|51|30|N|0|8|W}}
|label4  = Torbay|pos4= right|coordinates4={{Coord|50.452222|-3.556944}}
|label5  = Wincanton|pos5=left|coordinates5={{Coord|51.0559|-2.4102}}
|label6  = Exeter|pos6=left|coordinates6={{Coord|50|43|N|3|32|W}}
|label7  = Portsmouth|pos7=bottom|coordinates7={{Coord|50|48|N|1|0|W}}
|label9  = Hungerford|pos9=left|coordinates9={{Coord|51.414|-1.515}}
|label10 = Reading|pos10=top|coordinates10={{Coord|51.454167|-0.973056}}
|label13 = Plymouth|pos13=left|coordinates13={{Coord|50|22|N|4|9|W}}
}}

James had considered himself safe from invasion, due to the French threat to the Spanish Netherlands, his navy and because it was late in the year for launching an expedition.{{Sfn|Childs|1980|p=177—178}} He now panicked and met with the bishops on 28 September, offering them concessions. They responded five days later with demands that he restore the religious position to that prevailing in February 1685, and hold free elections for a new Parliament. Although they hoped this would allow James to remain king, in reality there was little chance of this. At a minimum, he would have to disinherit his son, enforce the Test Acts, and accept the supremacy of Parliament, all of which were unacceptable. In addition, by now his Whig opponents did not trust him to keep his promises, while Tories like Danby were too committed to William to escape punishment.{{Sfn|Miller|1978|p=204}}

Although his veterans were superior to the largely untested recruits of the Royal Army, William and his English supporters preferred to avoid bloodshed. Torbay was sufficiently far from London to provide time for the regime to collapse on its own, while to avoid alienating the local population, his troops were well supplied and paid three months in advance. On 9 November, he entered [[Exeter]] and issued a proclamation claiming he sought only to secure the rights of his wife and a free Parliament. Despite this, there was little enthusiasm for either party, and the general mood was one of confusion and distrust.{{Sfn|Jardine|2008|pp=15–16}} In Northern England, much of the gentry confirmed their backing for the invasion after Danby had the ''Declaration'' read out in York on 12 November.{{Sfn|Jardine|2008|pp=31–32}}

On 19 November, James joined his main force of 19,000 at [[Salisbury]],{{Sfn|Harris|2006|p=285}} but morale was low and the loyalty of some commanders doubtful, with a number of officers defecting to William between 10 and 20 November.{{Sfn|Childs|1980|p=187}}{{Sfn|Pinkman|1954|p=138 & 160}}{{Sfn|Dillon|2007|p=164}} Although the numbers were relatively small, the defections badly impacted morale,{{Sfn|Childs|1980|p=187}}{{Sfn|Speck|1989|p=86}} while the Royal Army was short of both food and ammunition. On 20 November, Royal dragoons clashed with Williamite scouts at [[Wincanton Skirmish|Wincanton]], but along with a minor skirmish at [[Battle of Reading (1688)|Reading]] on 9 December, these were the only substantial military actions of the campaign. After securing his rear by taking [[Plymouth]] on 18 November, William began his advance on 21 November, while Danby and Belasyse captured York and Hull several days later.{{Sfn|Harris|2006|p=285}}

[[File:John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough by John Closterman.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|[[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|John Churchill]], circa 1685, whose defection to William was a serious blow]]

His commander [[Louis de Duras, 2nd Earl of Feversham|Feversham]] and other senior officers advised James to retreat. Lacking information on William's movements, suspicious of his own soldiers, worn out by lack of sleep and debilitating nose-bleeds, on 23 November James agreed.{{Sfn|Miller|1978|pp=201–202}} Because of its strategic implications, the withdrawal was a practical admission of defeat.{{Sfn|Childs|1980|p=189}} On 24 November, Churchill, Grafton and [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Princess Anne]]'s husband [[Prince George of Denmark|George]] deserted to William, followed by Anne herself on 26 November. The next day, James met with those peers still in London, and with the exception of Melfort, Perth and other Catholics, they urged him to announce free Parliamentary elections and negotiate with William.{{Sfn|Harris|2006|p=284}}

On 8 December, [[George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax|Halifax]], [[Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham|Nottingham]] and [[Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin|Godolphin]] met with William at [[Hungerford]] to hear his demands, which included the dismissal of Catholics from public office and funding for his army. Many viewed these as a reasonable basis for a settlement, but James decided to flee the country, convinced his life was threatened. This suggestion is generally dismissed by historians, since William made it clear he would not allow his uncle to be harmed. Some Tories hoped James could retain his throne but name a Protestant successor, while the Whigs preferred to drive him out of the country by imposing conditions he would refuse.{{Sfn|Miller|1978|p=204}}

The Queen and Prince of Wales left for France on 9 December, James following separately on 10 December.{{Sfn|Miller|1978|p=205}} Accompanied only by [[Sir Edward Hales, 3rd Baronet|Edward Hales]] and Ralph Sheldon, he made his way to [[Faversham]] in Kent seeking passage to France, first dropping the [[Great Seal of the Realm|Great Seal]] in the [[River Thames]] in a last-ditch attempt to prevent Parliament being summoned.{{Sfn|Jardine|2008|p=17}} In London, his flight and [[Irish Fright|rumours]] of a "Papist" invasion led to riots and destruction of Catholic property, which quickly spread throughout the country. To fill the power vacuum, the [[Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester|Earl of Rochester]] set up a temporary government including members of the [[Privy Council]] and [[City of London]] authorities, but it took them two days to restore order.{{Sfn|Harris|2006|pp=296–300}}

[[File:Atlas Van der Hagen-KW1049B11 021-Receptie van S.K.H. den Prince van Orange op zijn intrede tot London = THE Reception of His Royal Highnesse the Prince of Orange at his entring London.jpeg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|The entrance of William in London, 16 December 1688]]

When news arrived, James had been captured in Faversham on 11 December by local fishermen, [[Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury|Lord Ailesbury]], one of his personal attendants, was sent to escort him back to London. On entering the city on 16 December, he was welcomed by cheering crowds. By making it seem that James remained in control, Tory loyalists hoped for a settlement which would leave them in government. To create an appearance of normality, he heard Mass and presided over a meeting of the Privy Council.{{Sfn|''The London Gazette''|1688|p=2}}<ref group="lower-alpha">Those in attendance were [[William Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton]], [[William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven (1608–1697)|William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven]], [[George Berkeley, 1st Earl of Berkeley]], [[Charles Middleton, 2nd Earl of Middleton]] ([[Secretary of State for the Southern Department|Southern Secretary]]), [[Richard Graham, 1st Viscount Preston]] ([[Lord President of the Council]] and [[Secretary of State for the Northern Department|Northern Secretary]]), [[Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin]] (Chamberlain to the Queen and [[Lords Commissioners of the Treasury|Treasury Commissioner]]), [[John Trevor (speaker)|John Trevor]], Master of the Rolls, and [[Silius Titus]].</ref> James made it clear to the French ambassador [[Paul Barillon]] that he still intended to escape to France. His few remaining supporters viewed his flight as cowardice, and a failure to ensure law and order criminally negligent.{{Sfn|Miller|1978|p=208}}

Happy to help him into exile, William recommended he relocate to [[Ham, London|Ham]], largely because it was easy to escape from. James suggested [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]] instead, allegedly because his personal guard was there, in reality conveniently positioned for a ship to France. On 18 December, he left London with a Dutch escort as William entered, cheered by the same crowds who greeted his predecessor two days before.{{Sfn|Jardine|2008|p=19}} William occupied London and now effectively controlled the English government and the country's army, navy, and finances.{{Sfn|Israel|1995|p=852}}{{Sfn|Trevor|2020|p=85}} On 22 December, Berwick arrived in Rochester with blank passports allowing them to leave England, while his guards were instructed not to impede his escape.{{Sfn|Huygens|1881|p=62}} Although Ailesbury and others begged him to stay, James left for France on 23 December.{{Sfn|Jardine|2008|p=17}}