Rage of Party facts for kids
The Rage of Party was a time in English politics when there was a lot of disagreement and change. This period lasted from just after the Glorious Revolution in 1688 until about 1715. It was a time of political instability, meaning things were often uncertain in the government.
During this time, politicians argued a lot more, and elections happened very often. Eleven different Parliaments met in these years. This was partly because of the Triennial Act, a law that said a new general election had to be held every three years. In fact, elections happened even more often, about every two and a half years on average.
This period of frequent elections and strong arguments ended with the Hanoverian succession. This is when a new royal family, the Hanovers, came to the throne. It also ended with a new law called the Septennial Act 1716. This act changed things so that up to seven years could pass between elections.
Political Parties and Big Arguments
During the Rage of Party, there were two main groups of politicians who disagreed a lot. These groups were like early political parties.
Whigs and Tories: Two Main Groups
- The Whigs were a group who strongly supported the Glorious Revolution. They also wanted to make sure that a Protestant ruler would always be in charge of England.
- The Tories were the other main group. Even though they accepted the new monarchs after the Glorious Revolution, they were worried. They believed that kings and queens should rule because God chose them (this was called divine succession). The Glorious Revolution had changed this idea, which bothered them.
Court and Country: Power Struggles
Besides the Whigs and Tories, there was another way politicians were divided:
- Court politicians were those who were part of the government or wanted to be. They supported having a strong central government. They also believed that the King's government should have a lot of power over Parliament.
- Country politicians were different. They did not trust a strong central government. They wanted Parliament to be more independent and have its own power, separate from the King's government.
