William III and the Nine Years' War (1689–1702)

William III's reign was dominated by war — against the Jacobites in Ireland and Scotland, and against Louis XIV's France. The demands of warfare transformed English government, creating the fiscal-military state that would underpin Britain's rise to global power. This lesson examines the Jacobite threat, the financial revolution, and the Act of Settlement.

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The Jacobite Threat

Ireland: The Battle of the Boyne (1 July 1690)

Aspect	Detail
Context	James II landed in Ireland with French support, seeking to recover his throne
The battle	William personally led his multinational army to victory at the River Boyne
Significance	Confirmed William's control of Ireland. Still commemorated by Unionists (12 July).
Treaty of Limerick (1691)	Guaranteed Catholic civil rights — but these guarantees were systematically betrayed by subsequent Penal Laws

Scotland: The Massacre of Glencoe (1692)

Government troops, billeted with the MacDonalds under the laws of hospitality, murdered approximately 38 people. The massacre was devastating in its violation of hospitality and discredited William's government in Scotland.

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The Nine Years' War (1689–1697)