3. ‘You Will See Who They Are that Revile, and Lessen Your . . . Glorious Deliverance’. The ‘Memory War’ about the ‘Glorious Revolution’

Abstract

Revolutions tend to create new pasts, or, in the words of Melinda Zook: 'Revolutionaries of modern times often imagine themselves not only as creators of a new future, but also as constructors of a new past'. Memories of the Revolution itself and of the events immediately preceding it soon became the subject of memory politics and of controversy. The newly established regime of William III and Mary II sought legitimacy by influencing memories. This chapter analyses attempts of state as well as pressure groups to shape public memory of Glorious Revolution. It examines how distinct narratives of the Revolution refer to different political and/or religious identities. In the course of a 'memory war' that began during the reign of Anne (1702-14), memories of 1688-89 were used as political weapons by rival parties. It is important to note that this development took place within the camp of supporters of the Revolution.Keywords: 'memory war'; Anne; Glorious Revolution; Mary II; Melinda Zook; religious identities; William III