William III: From Prince of Orange to King of England

(Paperback)

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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 Princes 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 XIVs 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 .

Reviews

"A demanding, detailed and fascinating biographical portrait. . . . William III is an absorbing book." * Wall Street Journal *
"Athoroughly researched history and biography... Researchers of this period in Dutch and British history and of William III in particular will find digested archival research here that should help them fill gaps in their understanding." * Pennsylvania Literary Journal *

Author Bio

William Pull was born in 1942 on the island of Java, part of the Dutch East Indies. His English father and Dutch mother met at The London School of Economics. Attending Dutch schools in Java and then later English schools enabled him to become bilingual in Dutch and English. Subsequently he read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oriel College, Oxford, a degree which at that time contained much history, which has always had a fascination for him. He retired from the City in 1996 to Norfolk to write history and has also been involved in fund raising for Oriel for many years.