On 12 March 1689 the recently deposed King James II landed at Kinsale to launch a campaign to regain his throne. The next two years witnessed bloody conflict in Ireland as the cause of freedom resisted the extension of French Absolutism.
In 1689 Parliament declared that King James II had abdicated and deserted his responsibilities as Monarch. This paved the way for William of Orange and his wife Mary to be crowned Joint Monarchs of the British Isles. The Glorious Revolution was initiated, and a new Constitutional settlement introduced.
It was principally on the battlefields of Ireland that this wider struggle for the British throne, the liberty of the subject and the balance of power in Europe, would be played out.
From an early age William had learnt that personal motivation needed to be curbed by duty to the greater good. This resulted in his often-selfless endeavours on the battlefields of Europe. Ireland, and the struggle to secure the Glorious Revolution would be no different. Duty and service would be reflected in his decision to come to Ireland in June of 1690 to lead the campaign against James. He could easily have left the fighting to others, but he understood the importance of leadership above personal safety.
Duty, service, sacrifice and unwavering leadership, would become bedrock features of the British Royal Family down through the centuries.
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