Summary of Winston S. Churchill's The Age of Revolution

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 William of Orange was the father of Queen Victoria. He was born into a loveless marriage and had a difficult childhood, but he had a remorseless fire within him that he hid behind his Dutch surroundings. He was ruthless.

#2 William was a very cold and calculating man. He had little interest in England’s domestic affairs, and only wanted the wealth and power of England for the European war. He used the English public men who had been his confederates for his own ends, and rewarded them for their services.

#3 The British nation had been united in the expulsion of James. But there was no lawful government, and a Convention Parliament was summoned by the Prince on the advice of the statesmen who had made the Revolution. The whole British nation was committed to the general coalition against France.

#4 The British Isles went into a dangerous war crisis in 1689. The exiled King James was received by Louis with every mark of consideration and sympathy, and he was soon defended by a Catholic army which may have reached a hundred thousand men.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822517813

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Insights on Winston S. Churchill's The Age of Revolution

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

William of Orange was the father of Queen Victoria. He was born into a loveless marriage and had a difficult childhood, but he had a remorseless fire within him that he hid behind his Dutch surroundings. He was ruthless.

#2

William was a very cold and calculating man. He had little interest in England’s domestic affairs, and only wanted the wealth and power of England for the European war. He used the English public men who had been his confederates for his own ends, and rewarded them for their services.

#3

The British nation had been united in the expulsion of James. But there was no lawful government, and a Convention Parliament was summoned by the Prince on the advice of the statesmen who had made the Revolution. The whole British nation was committed to the general coalition against France.

#4

The British Isles went into a dangerous war crisis in 1689. The exiled King James was received by Louis with every mark of consideration and sympathy, and he was soon defended by a Catholic army which may have reached a hundred thousand men.

#5

The National Government began to crumble as the Tories won the election in February 1690. The Whigs considered that the Revolution belonged to them, and they were ready to dissolve the Convention Parliament that had given William the crown.

#6

In 1690, William was able to go to the Continent with strong forces and assume command of the main armies of the Alliance. However, no independent scope was given to Marlborough’s genius, and the campaign was indecisive.

#7

The relationship between King William and Marlborough grew colder as the years went on. Marlborough was the leading British general, and many officers of various ranks turned to him and his sympathies with the King’s enemies.

#8

The Queen demanded the dismissal of Sarah Churchill from Anne’s household. Anne refused with all the obstinate strength of her nature. The two sisters parted in the anger of a mortal estrangement. The next morning, Marlborough, discharging his functions as Gentleman of the Bedchamber, handed the King his shirt.

#9

The Battle of Cape La Hogue, which took place in May 1692, was the culmination of the French invasion of England. It was the Trafalgar of the seventeenth century, and it decisively broke for the whole of the wars of William and Anne against French pretensions to naval supremacy.

#10

The campaign of 1692 in the Spanish Netherlands, which we now know as Belgium, was a French success. But worse was to follow. In August, William marched by night with his entire army to attack Marshal Luxembourg. The French were surprised near Steinkirk in the early morning, and their advanced troops were defeated and routed.

#11

The first war Government formed from the newly organized Whig Party had in Charles Montagu a first-rate financier. He was responsible for facing the country’s major financial problem: the Continental troops were being paid day to day, and the reserves of bullion were being rapidly depleted.

#12

In 1694, Queen Mary died of smallpox, and William became king alone. The country was able to bear