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Mahan on King William's War

The importance of seapower was growing in the later 17th century. Mahan begins his classic The influence of sea power upon history with this era. Over the next century great-power war would become increasingly global, making command of the seas all the more vital.

A few extracts from Mahan covering the 1690s. From Chapter IV on the war of the League of Augsburg.

War of the League of Augsburg

(FP note) The war of 1688 - 1697 has many names. The prosaic Nine Years War, or the more traditional War of the League of Augsburg. The latter has fallen out of favour, in that there was a League of Augsburg, but the war was fought by a wider alliance, and the name does not shed light on the war's reasons or aims. In the north American theatre, where English and French settlers recruited rival groups of native forces, it has generally …

HOC Journal 1690 session 2

Extracts from the House of Commons Journal, vol 10 1688 - 1693.

2 October 1690

The King's Speech reported.

Mr. Speaker reports, That his Majesty had been pleased to make a most gracious Speech to both Houses: But in regard the same was long, and that there was a great Noise made by the Crowd, and that his Majesty's Voice was low, he could not distinctly hear the same; and therefore, he had desired and obtained a Copy of it: And he read the same;

[The speech is very substantially an appeal for more money and quickly, for the spiralling cost of the war, including army arrears of pay and further sums for the next season's campaigning ]

I cannot conclude without taking Notice also, How much the Honour of the Nation has been exposed by the ill Conduct of My Fleet in the last Summer's Engagement against the French [Battle of …

HOC Journal 1690 session 1

Extracts from the House of Commons Journal, vol 10 1688 - 1693.

24 March 1690

New Sarum Election.

A Petition of Wm. Wyndham, Esquire, was read; setting forth, That, at the Election of Citizens for New Sarum, the Twenty-seventh Day of February last, when the Petitioner Tho. Hobby, Esquire, and Thomas Pitt, Esquire, stood Candidates; and the Petitioner had the Majority of those Persons who had Right to vote in the said Election; and the Petitioner ought to have been returned a Citizen for the said City accordingly, together with the said Thomas Hobby, to serve in this present Parliament for New Sarum aforesaid: But the Mayor, in Wrong to the Petitioner, and contrary to Justice and Right, returned the said Thomas Pitt, Esquire, together with the said Thomas Hobby, whereas the Petitioner had a greater Number of qualified Votes: And praying the Relief of the House in the Premises.

Ordered …

Dalton: Ten Years in England

Dalton's Life of Thomas Pitt, Chapter 5

Dalton has relatively little to go on for his un-imaginatively titled chapter, Ten years in England. As a result, he yields to the temptation to spin out what speculations he can.

Unreliable dates

In 1688 he bought from James Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, the manor of Stratford under the Castle, and was returned as member for Old Sarum in the election of the Convention Parliament, and for New Sarum (Salisbury) in the Parliament of 1690. In 1691 he became the owner of the site of Old Sarum, and the votes attached to it, thereby securing the representation of the borough for himself and his heirs. p. 69

In fact his election in 1690 at Old Sarum was overturned. He did not gain control of that borough until a later date, and the last contested election there was not until 1705.

Question of motivation …

Brief Historical Relation 1690 Q2

Political and other events

From Luttrell's Brief Historical Relation, a diary of news and current events (BR). These are all from vol. 2 of the 6 volume printed edition.

April 1690

French letters say that their squadron under the command of Mr D'Amfreville returned to Brest the 9th with 5,000 Irish, commanded by lieut. general Macarty; that the count D'Avaux, lieut. general Rose, with several other French officers, returned with them; that it was declared the dauphin should command the army on the Rhine, and under him by the mareschal de Lorge; the army in Flanders to be commanded by the duke of Luxemburgh; the marquesse de Boufflers is to command a body upon the Moselle; the duke de Noailles is to command in Roussillon, and the sieu de Catinat the forces towards Italy. They say that strict orders had been given for raising the ban and arrierban, which …