In 1688, English subjects asked William of Orange to intervene against the Catholic King James II due to fears of a Catholic dynasty. William was eligible for the crown as the nephew and son-in-law of James II, and more importantly he was Protestant. Colonial officials tried to suppress news of the revolution but instead instigated their own revolutions in the colonies. King William then worked to resolve the colonial situations, removing proprietary power in some colonies and compromising to share power in Massachusetts between the royal governor and elected assembly.