William III

Profiles in Power

by Tony Claydon

William III, William of Orange (1650-1702), is a key figure in English history. Grandson of Charles I and married to Mary, eldest daughter of James II, the pair became the object of protestant hopes after James lost the throne. Though William was personally unpopular - his continental ties the source of suspicion and resentment - Tony Claydon argues that William was key to solving the chronic instability of seventeenth-century Britain and Ireland. It took someone with a European vision and foreign experience of handling a free political system, to end the stand-off between ruler and people that had marred Stuart history. Claydon takes a thematic approach to investigate all these aspects in their wider context, and presents William as the crucial factor in Britain's emergence as a world power, and as a model of open and participatory government.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2002

About the author

Tony Claydon is Senior Lecturer in History at the School of History and Welsh History, University of Wales, Bangor

Reviews

[Emilija · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that Claydon had a very good central idea to build this book around - that William's Orange identity managed to save England, Scotland and Ireland from instability, and I found it a quite interesting read.

[Miles Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent scholarly biography meant for the non-specialist. Claydon makes a compelling case that William III was in many ways the monarch that saved Britons throughout the Stuart realms from their often bumbling and foolish monarchs. Claydon's central--and perhaps controversial--thesis is that the Orange identity that William brought to the British throne allowed him to cut through the confusing Gordian knot that handicapped the reigns of his Stuart grandfather and uncles. The author points out that William's association with unionists in Ulster has overshadowed the fact that he was a tolerant monarch who argued for a measure of religious rights for all his subjects. Claydon's thesis is durable, and the book convinces the reader of William's historical necessity, and perhaps his greatness.

[Ron Nurmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking at a king of Britain as a result of the Glorious Revolution, William III was successful in calming the political situation in what became Great Britain. The author's point is that his experience in ruling the Netherlands was very important, and his constant warring with Louis XIV.

This is a very brief look at William III

[Альберто Лорэдо · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing biography about William of Orange and his experiences in Britain, arguing how his European background helped him to establish a new political system in the British isles.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating short book (189 pages) on how the Dutch Prince of Orange (their equivalent of a king at that time) invaded England in 1688 and displaced his uncle/father-in-law (yes, both) as king of England. The author makes the case that William’s background in the Netherlands (which had always had a strong parliament that out-ranked the prince) was actually to Britain’s move to full constitutional monarchy. His obsession with fighting Louis XIV of France also made him willing to cave in on almost any issue about his kingly powers in order to keep money and soldiers coming for his wars. A very interesting - and well argued - premise.

[Alannah Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book, very helpful for my source analysis essay. I knew a little about the Revolution of 1689 but I didn't really know about the events that led up to this Revolution so it was really interesting to learn about it.