What does the act of hiding the charter mean to the king in Elizabeth George Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond?

Chapter 15 of Elizabeth George Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond gives an account of an actual a legendary event in which the colonists of Massachusetts hid their charter in an effort to maintain their sovereign control over their own territory, an act of insubordination against King James II, an act that really meant little to the king since he was still able to gain full control over the New England colonies.

After King James II succeeded Charles II, he immediately set about creating what was called Dominion of New England, in which the charters of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island were revoked; the colonies were then merged into one territory ruled solely by King James II ("What Was the Dominion of New England," History of Massachusetts). Prior to the creation of the Dominion of New England, each colony had its own charter that gave the colony complete freedom to govern its territory as it pleased, with complete control over the legal and court system.

In 1687, the year in which the novel is set, the king's appointed governor of New York, Andros, was sent by the king to Connecticut to revoke the charter. Governor Andros arrived at a General Assembly meeting held at Hartford and, just as William Ashby relays in Chapter 15, according to the legend, the room grew dark, candles were asked to be lit, the room grew hot, "someone opened a window, [and] the draft blew out the candles." William further relays that, while the candles were out, someone stole the charter. According to historical legend, the charter had been taken by Captain Joseph Wadsworth and hid in a hallow oak tree outside of Hartford ("Hiding the Charter," Connecticut History).

The purpose of hiding the charter was to prevent it from being revoked so that Connecticut could maintain its own sovereignty. It was an act of rebellion against the king and a denial of his power. However, the gesture was merely symbolic, since Governor Andros was still able to revoke the charter. Fortunately, William and Mary succeeded James II in 1689 and restored the charters of New England.