KINGS, MARSHALS & GOVERNORS

WILLIAM III

THE POWERFUL SOLDIER-KING WHO OVERTHREW JAMES II AND FOUGHT LOUIS XIV 1650-1702 ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, IRELAND AND DUTCH REPUBLIC

William III was the decisive figure during the War of the Grand Alliance, which in many ways was his own personal crusade against Louis XIV of France. Born as the prince of Orange, William was Dutch by upbringing and identity. He came to prominence in 1672 when he was appointed to command the Dutch federal army against a French invasion. His successes led him to develop a lifelong obsession to save the Dutch from Louis XIV’s expansionist policies. He managed to drive the French from Dutch soil, but his ambitions went further.

As a staunch Protestant, William was effectively invited to invade England by the English Parliament to overthrow his Catholic father-in-law James II in 1688. The invasion (which became known as the ‘Glorious Revolution’) was successful