Description
Seventeenth-century Europe was a theatre of almost endless rivalry and destruction, where wars of religion and dynastic succession caused devastation. Kingdom Overthrown: The Battle for Ireland, 1688-91 is a fresh narrative account of the Williamite War, wherein Ireland became an unexpected stage in this European struggle. To the Irish officers who served in both armies, it was a fight for control of land, property and influence. It was also part of a pan-European war that would have consequences across the continent; it saw the last ever confrontation on a battlefield between two claimants to the English throne, and it featured many intense clashes including the siege of Derry and the battles of Aughrim and the Boyne. Providing the reader with the necessary historical context following Charles II s rise to power, the book then charts the central phase of the war, details the Williamite victory in Ireland and outlines the social, political and cultural consequences of the war. Driven by first-hand accounts of soldiers and officers in both armies, collected from historical manuscript collections, copies of correspondence and personal memoirs give life and colour to the narrative. Kingdom Overthrown is an accurate and human account of the most destructive conflict ever fought on our island.
