Absence of King William Act 1689
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The Absence of King William Act 1689 ( 2 Will. & Mar. c. 6) was an Act of the
Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised ...
which stated that Queen Mary II was to govern
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
whenever her husband, King William III, was absent from England. It did not apply to Scotland or Ireland. The Act was passed because, following the Glorious Revolution, the
Bill of Rights A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect those rights against infringement from public officials and pr ...
had enacted that although William and Mary were to reign as joint monarchs (with Mary as a
queen regnant A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns '' suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigni ...
, not a mere consort), William alone was to exercise the actual power of government. However William intended to travel to Ireland, and so another Act was necessary to provide for the administration of the kingdom while he was abroad. The Act declared that "whensoever and as often as it shall happen that his said Majestie shall be absent or continue out of this Realme of England It shall and may be lawfull for the Queens Majestie to exercise and administer the Regall Power and Government of the Kingdome of England Dominion of Wales and Towne of Berwicke-upon-Tweede and the Plantations and Territories thereunto belonging in the Names of both their Majestyes for such time onely dureing their joynt Lives as his said Majestie shall be absent or continue out of this Realme of England any thing in the said Act he Bill of Rightsto the contrary notwithstanding".


References

*''The Statutes of the Realm'', vol. VI, 1819. {{UK legislation Acts of the Parliament of England Constitutional laws of England 1689 in law 1689 in England William III of England Mary II of England