William Joseph (governor)

William Joseph (born before 1688; died after 1689) was an English colonial governor of the Province of Maryland .

Life

The dates of life of William Joseph are not known. In 1688 he first appeared in the history of the Province of Maryland when he was appointed new governor by the then owner of the colony Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore . He formally replaced Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore in this office. However, the younger Baltimore had only held the office pro forma due to his youth. Actual power came from the council. Against the background of increasing tensions in England in the run-up to the Glorious Revolution , the elder Lord Baltimore decided to entrust this office with William Joseph, a man who was loyal to him. The colony originally consisted almost entirely of Catholics. Over time, members of other Christian denominations also moved to the area. Above all, the supporters of the Church of England and the Puritans should be mentioned here. Gradually these groups became the majority vis-à-vis the Catholics and there was an increasing number of religiously motivated unrest. Against this background, William Joseph took up his new office in 1688. The Glorious Revolution in England, which was also religiously motivated, did not fail to have an impact on Maryland. Lord Baltimore and Joseph were Catholic and loyal to the deposed King James II . The other side saw the success of the Glorious Revolution in England as an encouragement to overthrow the colony. William Joseph tried to maintain the old order, but had to surrender to the overwhelming odds and flee the colony in 1689. In addition to the religious contradiction, he had also angered the colonists with some unpopular decisions in favor of Lord Baltimore. The opponents of Baltimore and Joseph were mainly Puritans, who were led by the later Governor John Coode . As a result of the rebellion, not only Governor Joseph had to flee. Lord Baltimore and with him the Calvert family also temporarily lost control of the colony, which they only gradually regained at the beginning of the 18th century. The practice of the Catholic religion was temporarily banned in Maryland. The further fate of William Joseph is in the dark.

Web links

• https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/000700/000752/html/msa00752.html