Page "Glorious Revolution" Paragraph 20

Since he had become king the relation between James and his nephew and son-in-law had gradually deteriorated.

At first William welcomed the promise of a less pro-French policy.

In 1685 he sent the Scottish and English mercenary regiments of his army to England to assist in putting down the Monmouth Rebellion.

Soon however, James's policy of religious tolerance caused tensions to rise between them.

William assumed it was but the first step towards a total re-Catholisation of England and was unable to explain how James could hope to achieve this goal unless he had concluded a secret alliance with France.

James's refusal to enter any anti-French coalition and his efforts to reorganise the Royal Navy increased William's suspicions.

In the previous years the French navy had enormously grown in strength and the Dutch Republic would no longer be able to resist a combined Anglo-French attack.

William feared that even English neutrality would not suffice and that control over the Royal Navy was a prerequisite for a successful naval campaign against France.