The Glorious Revolution
Between 1660 and 1688, under the Stuart King Charles II and then his son James II, the gentry became the most important group in England. As opposed to the 100-200 families that were technically noble "lords," there were approximately 15 - 20,000 gentry families (2 % of total population, thus comparable in size to nobility on continental Europe).
More so than in nobility elsewhere in Europe, the gentry had important role in making policy, since they dominated the House of Commons. They used this power, among other purposes, to promote commerce by supporting the construction of a powerful navy to ensure English domination of the seas. In a series of naval victories over the Dutch in the 1660s and 1670s, England greatly expanded its empire in the Americas, where settlement colonies began to be established. Gentry also became in effect the local government in their regions, often referred to as local grandees. It was, therefore, important to them that the church and the government not be too centralized.