William of Orange and the Fight for the Crown of England: The Glorious Revolution

by Brian Best

In 1688, a vast fleet of 463 ships, twice the size of the Spanish Armada, put to sea from Holland. On board was William of Orange with 40,000 soldiers - their objective, England. The Protestant William had been encouraged by a group of Church of England bishops to risk everything and oust the Catholic King James. He landed at Tor Bay in Devon and soon gathered enough support, including that of John Churchill, the future Duke of Marlborough, to cause King James to flee to France. It had been seen, in the eyes of most in England and Scotland as a 'Glorious' Revolution.

William ascended the throne along with his wife Mary, the daughter of England's James II. Though the revolution had been virtually bloodless, William had to fight to keep his crown.

Most Irish were Catholics and King William's armies met stiff opposition there. In this, James saw a chance to regain his crown. Sailing to Ireland, he led his Jacobite troops against William at the Battle of the Boyne on 1 July 1690. James was defeated, ending his hopes of ousting William.

There were also large numbers of Catholics in Scotland, but they too were defeated by William's army at the Battle of Killiecrankie. This, in turn, led to the infamous Massacre of Glencoe.

The accession of William and Mary to the throne was a landmark moment in British history, one which saw Parliament emerge into the modern state. In January 1689, two months after the Glorious Revolution, Parliament met and in February a Declaration of Rights was incorporated into the Bill of Rights. This included the measure that the crown could not tax without Parliament's consent or interfere in elections. William, therefore, is not only known both for being one of England's most revolutionary kings, but also one of the least remembered.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

280 pages, Hardcover

Published October 22, 2021

Reviews

[Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for a review copy of this book

England in the seventeenth century saw a period fraught with religious and political tensions, the replacement of the monarchy on not one but two occasions and various changes which are reflected in the modern world. The execution of Charles I and brief period of republicanism in England was followed by the Great Restoration when Charles II took the throne. But his heir James II was disapproved by people, not only because of his religion but because of the changes he sought to make—in fact did start to put into practice; ultimately, his son-in-law, William of Orange was invited to take the throne. But while the ‘Glorious Revolution’ consequent to which William and Mary were jointly crowned was indeed relatively bloodless, the period of their rule saw them challenged from various fronts and battle was almost a constant. William of Orange and the Fight for the Crown of England is an account of these events, more so of the battles fought to take and keep the crown.

The first ten chapters of the book set out the background or context in which William, Stadtholder of Holland was invited to rule England. It opens with the events following the death of Oliver Cromwell, when the republicans were losing ground and Charles II was invited to take the throne (in fact, our account begins with George Monck, later Duke of Albemarle, who was a supporter of Cromwell but played a crucial role in the restoration). Charles II’s reign was not an easy one, for tensions between King and Parliament, and also the city of London and the King remained. The Great Fire and Great Plague were witnessed in his rule, and he was also the target of assassination attempts. His brother and heir James II, after a surprisingly mild start to his reign, began to try to rule supreme attempting to replace officials and the judiciary with loyalists and Catholics. Monmouth, illegitimate son of Charles II launched a rebellion and failed, and this was followed by the Bloody Assizes where the notorious Judge Jeffries, among others, sentenced hundreds of prisoners including innocents to be hung, drawn and quartered.

In this background, William was invited to take the crown and exactly a hundred years after the Spanish Armada arrived in England with another armada, four times the size of the 1588 one. Other than one confrontation, his transition to King of England jointly with Mary II as Queen was peaceful. But the fight to keep the crown was not as bloodless or peaceful—William faced battles from the Scots (whom he angered by his policies) and Irish—both with the involvement of James II—and had also to battle the French to protect both his English throne and Holland. The book gives us a detailed account of each of these battles, and all the opposition (and plots) William had to face during his rule of 12 years.

One of the things that stood out to me about the invitation to William to take the English Crown (for which he was made to wait a little), was that the Parliament’s declaration spoke of ‘King James II…breaking the original contract between King and people’, indicating that the divine right of kings to rule the country was no longer acceptable.

But this was not the only first to be seen in their reign. William and Mary were also the first monarchs to be jointly crowned, and in 1689 a Bill of Rights signed by them was incorporated into English law promising among other things free elections. They were also the first to take an oath to uphold law according to parliamentary statutes, and to give a budget to Parliament of their expenses. William also appointed a government from the majority party, echoing the modern cabinet. Free political press with limited censorship and a national bank too came into being in their rule.

But despite all these developments and the relative cooperation between William and his Parliament, he was not approved of universally. The Scots and Irish wished for James II to be on the throne since he was Catholic, and William further irked the Scots by his refusal to support them in the failed Darien Gap project (a colony that the Scots attempted to establish in unfavourable surroundings and with huge investments) since he was politically aligned with the Spanish (under whose control the territory fell) and did not wish to anger them. So while William wished to focus on his campaigns on the Continent to protect his interests there (and indeed check Louis the XIV’s expansionist plans), he was also forced to battle the Scots and the Irish in England.

The book gives an interesting and detailed account of these battles and includes in its descriptions, excerpts from those that participated in or witnessed these battles first hand. All sides had their ups and downs, suffered losses and successes and made their share of mistakes. We learn about these, about the different positions they took during the battles and how things turned out for them.

While the battles are the focus of the book, alongside, we also learn of developments in politics and society, friendships and alliances, plots and enmities as well. We also meet various individuals including the notorious Titus Oates whose fabricated ‘Popish plot’ led to the executions of various innocents (and who surprisingly was pardoned), and Judge Jeffries who became known as the hanging judge and was also responsible for the lives of innocents, including 68-year-old Alice Lisle, whose jury was literally threatened by Jeffries into returning a guilty verdict. Then there is Sarah Churchill, Lady Marlborough, who for a time dominated Queen Anne, and tried to extend her influence.

This was an interesting and well written account of the battles and plots that the forgotten William of Orange had to face during his reign, and will be of interest to those who enjoy reading war history; for me personally, while I enjoyed the book, since my interest in more in social and political history, it did waver a little as the book is battle heavy (my fault not the book’s). Also I didn’t feel I got to know William as well I’d expected. But a good read. 3.75 rounded off to 4 stars.

[Kathryn_w_221185 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5
Interesting enough read but a lot of it wasn’t actually about William but other Stuarts!

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well done! Informative and very well researched without being dry or boring. I had only read historical fiction that touched on William Of Orange and not in a good way. This book sheds alot of the many challenges that he had to face. I also liked the pictures included as it saved me from having to look them up. A definite recommend. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Elma Voogdt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new book about stadtholder William of Orange. You think everything has already been said about it, but then a new book pops up and it turns out that not everything has been said and written yet. The book “William of Orange and the Fight for the Crown of England” is an example of it. The book tells us, among other things, the story of William of Orange and the long struggle for the throne of England. So who was William III of Orange?

William Hendrik of Orange was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as stadtholder William III of Orange Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht, from 1675 also Gelre and Zutphen and Overijssel, and finally from 1696 also Drenthe, in the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. From 1689 he reigned as King William III of England and Ireland. Coincidentally, his government number (III) was the same for both Orange and England. As King of Scotland, he was known as William II. He is informally known as King Billy in Ireland and Scotland.In what is now known as the Glorious Revolution, William invaded England on November 5, 1688 in a parliamentary-supported action that eventually deposed King James II and won the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland for him. William ruled the British Isles together with his wife, Mary II, until her death. The period of their joint rule is often referred to as “William and Mary”. Willem was a Protestant and partly because of this he took part in several wars against the powerful Catholic King Louis XIV of France, in coalition with the Protestant and Catholic powers of Europe. Many Protestants proclaimed him a champion of their faith. Largely because of this reputation, William was able to take the British crowns when many feared that Catholicism would revive under James. William’s victory over James at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 is commemorated by the Order of Orange in Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland to this day.

The book gives a good view of the circumstances under which William came to England. It begins with the death of Oliver Cromwell, when the Republicans lost ground and Charles II took the throne. Charles II on the throne proved not to be such a success. James II’s brother had also failed. There was constant conflict and the country rolled from one war to the next. Also, during the reign of William III of Orange. That’s kind of the common thread running through the book. Many wars and struggles are described in it. That is of course also part of the title of the book. But you don’t really learn much about William III of Orange. That is a small minus. Personally, I was lucky enough to have recently read a new Dutch book about him. That knowledge stuck with me and came in use for the view of this book.

However, the author Brian best has written a well researched and readable book. It is easily accessible to everyone. Although you don’t learn too much about William III in the book, the book is instructive about warfare, which is also an important fact from history. The description of the political and war related events were described very clearly by the author. That makes the book interesting and educational. Add to that the author’s pleasant way of writing and you won’t be able to put the book down. You are drawn into it. The book is definitely worth reading.

[Kid Ferrous · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a period of British history that I didn’t know much about before, and a King I only know by name. As Brian Best admits in his excellent and informative book, William of Orange (William III) is one of England’s least known monarchs, yet his reign (“The Glorious Revolution”) introduced many lasting changes such as the creation of the Bank of England and the “Bill of Rights”. This limited the powers of the monarchy and set out the rights of Parliament, including the need for regular parliaments, free elections, and freedom of speech in Parliament. It also confirmed certain rights of individuals, including the banning of “cruel and unusual punishments”. But William’s reign was also overshadowed by atrocities such as the massacre at Glencoe.
A few pages in and I’ve already learned that Charles II’s advisors (Lords Clifford, and Arlington, the Duke of Buckingham, and Lords Ashley and Lauderdale) were known by their initials and gave us the word “CABAL”, a fact I was entirely unaware of. No dry history book, author Brian Best takes us on a journey through the tumultuous wars, plots and catastrophes that defined the mid-to late 17th century, beginning with the Restoration of the monarchy after Cromwell when the country was in turmoil and ending with the death of William’s successor, Queen Anne.
The rampant spread of bubonic plague through London resonates strongly with the modern reader, with foreign ships being quarantined in Canvey Island for forty days; and plague victims being buried en masse. Sadly, this was followed closely by the Great Fire of London in 1666. Vivid descriptions of the inferno come courtesy of the ever-present and plucky Samuel Pepys, who would later find himself caught up in the Popish Plot, (instigated by the outrageous chancer Titus Oates), and falsely imprisoned.
The death of Charles II brought the accession of his brother, James. His desire to return England to Catholicism would bring him into conflict with Parliament. His unpopularity led to William of Orange taking the throne, repelling repeated attempts by James to retake his crown over the years. After the failed Monmouth Rebellion, the atrocities of Judge Jeffreys and the “Bloody Assizes” cast a stain on the history of England. Later, the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland becomes probably the most well-known event of William’s reign, with repercussions that still resonate in the country today.
Another excellent slice of history from Pen & Sword, Brian Best’s book is very easy to read, concise and clear. The momentous reign of one of our most neglected monarchs is vividly brought to life and one gets the impression that William was able to take quite a lot of things in his stride, with only the untimely death of his wife, Mary, truly affecting him. Ironically, even though the book is about William, he doesn’t have that much of a presence, which in a way reflects his position in history, but dramatic, lasting changes happened because of his reign, and that will be his legacy.

[Shoshana · Rating 5 out of 5]

William III, who reigned with his wife Mary II from 1688 until her death in 1694, and then alone until his own death in 1702 is one of Britain's lesser known monarchs. I have always thought that this was a pity because the momentous changes to the British political system which grew out of the Glorious Revolution are so interesting.

Brian Best has presented us with a well-researched and informative book which is eminently readable. At first it is a little choppy due to the summing up of preceding events, but never fear, once he gets into the real heart of his subject it flows along. I was a little surprised, given the title, that William III did not figure more prominently in the text. Maybe that is why William is not more prominent in history; so many important things happened during his reign that the king himself sort of fades into the background.

I enjoyed this book very much, and recommend it to other readers.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions are my own.

[Adam Windsor · Rating 3 out of 5]

NB: free copy received for honest review

This is a pretty decent overview of English and British political struggle (both internally and within Europe) from the mid 1600s to the early 1700s. Which is not really the book I expected, given the title. WIlliam of Orange does feature in several chapters, but most of what is written about him focuses on his lifelong conflict with France. His acquisition of the English crown is really quite a minor part of the book, with many chapters focusing on other figures such as James II and the Duke of Marlborough.

I did also feel that the use of contemporary sources was a bit heavy-handed. Some excerpts from original sources went on for a very long time.

[Arthur · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book covers a very interesting period in English history, the period before, during, and a little after the reign of William and Mary. I enjoyed learning more about e.g. the Battle of the Boyne, the Glencoe Massacre, and the Darien scheme (which played a key role in the Act of Union between Scotland and England in 1707 due to the resulting financial loss - prolonged bad weather leading to bad harvests also played a role). I did find the book a little disorganised in the way it tells its stories and fewer typos would also have been great. In addition, I struggle with battle descriptions when no maps are provided.

[Jean-Luc · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterful & captivating journey through the Glorious Revolution and an engrossing portrait of the unprepossessing William of Orange. A very detailed account of all the events behind the power grab set up by the genial couple, the flight of James II and the tireless fight between William and his powerful nemesis Louis XIV. A magnificent tapestry of the tail-end of 17th century England to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Pen & Sword for this terrific ARC

[Bambi Babbitt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read many books on 1688 and this is the very worst. Waste of time and money.