William III : from Prince of Orange to King of England : a history, 1650-1689

William III, From Prince of Orange to King of England tells the story of William of Orange before he became King of England, and tells of the clan, family, patron and client relationships across Europe on which the Prince’s political and diplomatic influences rested. His skilful ability to put these at the disposal of the political elites in the Dutch Republic and later in England enabled him to rise to power in the Republic and to the throne of England. The drama of the clash of this regime with Louis XIV’s governance of France is described in full. Besides this new approach, the book does not shy away from engaging in historical controversies and attempts to do so with intellectual vigour. The action that gives the story its impetus will be of equal interest to academics and general historians alike. The author has made full use of his bilingual command of English and Dutch to examine the sources and historiography that give the book its unique authenticity . A detailed study in the struggle for power between seventeenth-century European ruling elites. This book tells the story of William of Orange before he became the king of England, examining the system of clan family and patron-client relationships across Europe on which the princes political and diplomatic influences rested. His skillful personal ability with the political elites in the Dutch Republic and England enabled his rise to power in the republic and later to the throne of England. Providing a full and detailed recounting of the dramatic clash between Williams regime with Louis XIVs governance of France, the book does not shy away from engaging in historical controversies. The action that gives the story its impetus will be of equal interest to academics and general historians alike. Drawing from English and Dutch sources and historiography, the book is a major contribution to academic studies of this crucial historical figure of the second half of the seventeenth century. William III, From Prince of Orange to King of England' tells the story of William of Orange before he became King of England, and tells of the clan, family, patron and client relationships across Europe on which the Prince's political and diplomatic influences rested. 0His skilful ability to put these at the disposal of the political elites in the Dutch Republic and later in England enabled him to rise to power in the Republic and to the throne of England. The drama of the clash of this regime with Louis XIV's governance of France is described in full. Besides this new approach, the book does not shy away from engaging in historical controversies and attempts to do so with intellectual vigour. The action that gives the story its impetus will be of equal interest to academics and general historians alike. The author has made full use of his bilingual command of English and Dutch to examine the sources and historiography that give the book its unique authenticity