Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- BOOK XX WILLIAM III AND PARLIAMENT DURING THE WAR WITH FRANCE, 169O–1697
- INTRODUCTION
- CHAP. I Formation of the Grand Alliance. Beginning and character of the War
- CHAP. II William III in 1691. Reduction of Ireland
- CHAP. III Parliamentary Grants. Glencoe
- CHAP. IV The War in 1692, 1693. Battle of La Hogue
- CHAP. V Tories and Whigs in the Sessions of 1692 and 1693
- CHAP. VI National Debt, and Bank of England. Campaign of 1694
- CHAP. VII Parliamentary Proceedings in the Session of 1694, 1695. Death of Queen Mary
- CHAP. VIII Campaign of 1695. Parliament of 1695, 1696
- CHAP. IX French and Jacobite schemes of invasion: the Plot of 1696
- CHAP. X Association. The two Banks. Victory of the Whigs
- CHAP. XI The Peace of Ryswick
- BOOK XXI THE LATER YEARS OF WILLIAM III, 1697—1702
- BOOK XXII REVIEW OF ENGLISH HISTORY TO THE YEAR 1760
CHAP. VI - National Debt, and Bank of England. Campaign of 1694
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 June 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- BOOK XX WILLIAM III AND PARLIAMENT DURING THE WAR WITH FRANCE, 169O–1697
- INTRODUCTION
- CHAP. I Formation of the Grand Alliance. Beginning and character of the War
- CHAP. II William III in 1691. Reduction of Ireland
- CHAP. III Parliamentary Grants. Glencoe
- CHAP. IV The War in 1692, 1693. Battle of La Hogue
- CHAP. V Tories and Whigs in the Sessions of 1692 and 1693
- CHAP. VI National Debt, and Bank of England. Campaign of 1694
- CHAP. VII Parliamentary Proceedings in the Session of 1694, 1695. Death of Queen Mary
- CHAP. VIII Campaign of 1695. Parliament of 1695, 1696
- CHAP. IX French and Jacobite schemes of invasion: the Plot of 1696
- CHAP. X Association. The two Banks. Victory of the Whigs
- CHAP. XI The Peace of Ryswick
- BOOK XXI THE LATER YEARS OF WILLIAM III, 1697—1702
- BOOK XXII REVIEW OF ENGLISH HISTORY TO THE YEAR 1760
Summary
Some time before this, when the resources of France still seemed inexhaustible, and people hesitated to begin a war of which the duration could not be foreseen, William III had stated his conviction to the Elector of Brandenburg, that France would not be able to carry on the war more than two years longer; could they but hold out so long, she would be obliged to think of peace.
In considering the antagonism of the two great powers now struggling for the mastery of the world, it is not enough to remember the skill and strength of the armies in the field; it is also a rivalry between the general internal powers of the two parties, and their capability for development and action. France had shown herself stronger than the Spanish monarchy; would she prove stronger than England, whose power had to a great extent given the impulse to her allies? This was the question now to be decided.
But as everything depended on the armies in the field, and the fleets at sea, this question resolves itself above all into the financial one, and one of practical statesmanship.
Colbert, with harsh but well-calculated severity, had taken the revenues of France out of the hands of private persons; and had thereby, to a certain extent, freed Louis XIV, so that he could grapple at will with European affairs; but as the results of the system had not only their definite limits, but were based on flourishing manufactures and the growth of trade, wars of long continuance had to be avoided.
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- A History of EnglandPrincipally in the Seventeenth Century, pp. 72 - 83Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010