Invitation to William

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The Invitation to William was a letter sent by seven notable Englishmen to William, Prince of Orange on 30 June 1688, asking him to depose his father-in-law James II in favour of William's wife Mary. The letter informed William that if he were to land in England with an army, the signatories and their allies would rise up and support him. The Invitation also briefly rehashed the grievances against King James, claimed that the king's son was suppositious, and offered some brief strategy on the logistics of the proposed landing of troops. It was carried to William by Lord Torrington, and identified by a secret code. The invitation convinced William to land with a Dutch army, culminating in the Glorious Revolution.

The signatories were:

• Thomas Osborne, Earl of Danby
• Charles Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury
• William Cavendish, Earl of Devonshire
• Richard, Viscount Lumley
• Henry Compton, Bishop of London
• Edward Russell
• Henry Sydney (who wrote the Invitation)

Of the seven, Danby and Compton were generally considered to be Tories, while the other five signatories were generally seen as Whigs.

 

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