Convention of Estates (1689)

The Convention of Estates of 1689 was a Convention of Estates of Scotland that sat between 16 March 1689 and 5 June 1689 to determine the settlement of the Scottish throne following the invasion of England by William, Prince of Orange. Whilst comparable to the English Convention of that time it was far more revolutionary, and sought to undo most of Scotland's Restoration Settlement.

Presbyterians through the means of "rabblings" and other means of intimidation and violence against Episcopalians ensured that the Convention was dominated by the view of the south-west and by Williamites, and was not representative of Scotland as a whole.

The Convention declared the throne vacant, but did not accept the English theory that King James VII had abdicated (who had also been King of England as James II). James VII was deemed to have lost the throne by forfaulture (a feudal term similar to forfeit), because of alleged misgovernment. The throne was offered to William III and Mary II, with regal power residing with William II (by now William III of England), by reason that William held the throne de facto by right of conquest. Not all members of the Convention were for replacing James VII with William II, and the proceedings of the Convention were challenged by figures such as John Paterson, the Archbishop of Glasgow.

The Convention sought the extirpation of episcopacy and the reduction of the Scottish monarchy from an absolute monarchy to a limited monarchy as part of the revolutionary constitutional change. The Convention considered Union with England but the Presbyterians were wary of English episcopacy, and the matter was deferred.

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