Citing the mismanagement and favoritism shown by James II, Parliament also legislated that Catholics would not be eligible to sit on the throne or be members of the Royal Family. Another consequence of the Penal Laws was that Presbyterians were technically not legally married; an issue they took exception to as it insinuated they were engaging in fornication. Presbyterians in Belfast organized and drafted a petition in 1701 which was sent to the Lord Lieutenant in Dublin demanding a repeal of the Penal Laws. The effects of the Penal Laws were felt more dynamically in Ireland than in Britain as the former had a Protestant minority in the midst of a large Catholic majority. Those who gave credence to the Church of Ireland received special consideration, privilege and opportunities. The Irish Parliament in Dublin was almost exclusively Protestant with only a few Catholic lords being allowed to represent their people. The preferment of Protestants over Catholics and Dissenters (Presbyterians and other non-Anglican Protestants) began a period in Ireland known today as the Protestant Ascendancy.