William III and the Godly Revolution (Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History) [Paperback]

Tony Claydon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521544017 | ISBN-13: 978-0521544016 | Publication Date: January 29, 2004

This book provides the first full account of William III's propaganda during his reign in England, 1689-1702. It thus explores the self-presentation of the English monarchy at a particularly difficult moment. In the 1690s the king had both to justify his irregular succession to the throne in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and to mobilize his country for mass warfare. Unlike most other works on the political language of late Stuart England, this volume does not concentrate on secular arguments, but rather stresses the importance of religious ideas of the period, insisting that the king solved his ideological problems by posing as a providential ruler sent by God to protect and renew the pure Protestant religion.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Tony Claydon makes a substantial contribution to the study of political culture, particularly royal propaganda during William III's reign....this is an important analysis of royal ideology and the art of political persuasion; it is essential reading for all students of the Restoration." Melinda Zook, Albion

"Claydon's study is well documented; it relies heavily on many sermons and public prayers that have been ignored previously. Recommended highly..." Choice

"...a study which will certainly influence, from now on, the way we perceive this crucial episode in British history." Times Literary Supplement

"Claydon has penned an informative and enjoyable work directed at professional scholars and college students....the ambition behind this testifies to the broad scope of his historical vision." History

"This interesting, well-researched book on the religio-political propaganda and publicity campaign emanating from court divines during William III's reign deserves wide attention from students of British, Irish and American politics and religion....Clayton has provided a fresh interpretation of the religious ideologies of William III's reign, building on the work of other scholars, but forthrightly independent in crucial matters. William III and the Godly Revolution suggests a reinterpretation of the standard devaluation of the courtly reformers as lukewarm christians, but presents a less prejudiced picture of them as legitimate defenders of the faith." Frederick H. Shriver, Church History

"...this is an important analysis of royal ideology and the art of political persuasion; it is essential reading for all students of the Restoration." Albion

"Tony Claydon makes a substantial contribution to the study of political culture, particularly royal propaganda during William III's reign. Claydon is at his best when he is delineating the origins and meanings of the discursive positions chosen by the courtly reformers. This, in and of itself, is a major contribution to royalist ideology after the Restoration,.... Claydon's analysis of country sentiment...is also extremely valuable. ...it is essential reading for all students of the Restoration." Melinda Zook, Albion

"...his study is valuable for bringing to light the nuances of the Anglican argument employed in redefining the monarchy's role and power, preserving monarchical legitimacy, and shaping the identity of the English state." Marilyn Morris, Religious Studies Review

"Tony Claydon has written an ambitious and determined book....Claydon's vigorously argued text succeeds in helping us to see another layer of the political culture of the 1690's, and in the process he throws light on many current historiographical concerns--Pococian civic humanism and the Reformation of Manners movement among them--and reminds us of the need to look again at others--notably at the role of Mary. It also provides a reminder to politicians of the perils of claiming the moral high ground:`When I gave my voice to make the prince of Orange King,' lamented John Thompson, `I thought to have seen better times than these'(p. 213)." Colin Brooks, Jrnl of Modern History

Book Description

This book provides the first full account of William III's propaganda during his reign in England, 1689-1702. It thus explores the self-presentation of the English monarchy at a particularly difficult moment. In the 1690s the king had both to justify his irregular succession to the throne in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and to mobilise his country for mass warfare. Unlike most other works on the political language of late Stuart England, this volume does not concentrate upon secular arguments, but rather stresses the importance of religious ideas of the period, insisting that the king solved his ideological problems by posing as a providential ruler sent by God to protect and renew the pure protestant religion.

Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (January 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521544017
• ISBN-13: 978-0521544016
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,816,174 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Important Book, July 16, 2009

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Christopehr R. Petrakos "Chris" (West Lafayette IN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: William III and the Godly Revolution (Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History) (Paperback)

When the Prince of Orange landed at Torbay on November 5, 1688, there were immediate and pressing reasons for him to declare his intentions for invading England. Tony Claydon's, William III and the Godly Revolution examines how the new Prince and his propagandists sold themselves to the English people through an extensive propaganda campaign embracing the rhetoric of what Claydon calls the "Courtly Reformation." The impact of this rhetoric, according to Claydon, was profound, and the chief aim of his study charts out its implications. In this rather short volume, only 237 pages of text, Claydon takes on enormous historiographical issues like the origins of "the Enlightenment" and the modern state. To Claydon, constitutionalism was not nearly as important as religion in these developments, and his major contribution to the field is writing religion back into a period it has historically had no place. Through the examination of an impressive array of pamphlets, printed sermons, and medals, Claydon's book revises the political and religious history of William III and Mary II's reign by illustrating how an essentially non-constitutional religiously based rhetoric was responsible for England's transformation into a politically stable world power.
"Courtly reformation" rhetoric imposed a framework on political debate that limited attempts to undermine the king's royal prerogative. However, before the deployment of this rhetoric could be successful, certain obstacles had to be overcome by William III and his propagandists. The first and perhaps most urgent was the need to repudiate The Declaration of Reasons for appearing in arms in the Kingdom of England. This Declaration, written by William III's propagandists and published a month before his expedition to England, justified the Princes' actions by appealing to constitutional discourse. The Declaration, according to Claydon, posed serious problems for William III once war with France became imminent, since it suggested that "the powers of the monarch should be tightly controlled" (27). At this point, William's propagandists evaded the thorny constitutional issues of the royal prerogative, which William needed to conduct the war, and instead put the propaganda press into high gear refashioning the monarch as providentially justified with a mandate to promote the true church and purify morality. This refashioning had important implications for the exercise of royal authority. Now that the king ruled by providence, according to his propagandists, authority was checked not by common law but by William's "fear of God." According to Claydon, this message "legitimated the regime" and served to "support the court's cause" in defense of William's actions.
It was not merely the exaltation of the new monarch so as to elevate him above the criticisms of party politics that concerned this new rhetoric. "Courtly reformation" was singularly interested in a reformation of manners. This is perhaps the most interesting aspect of Claydon's argument and his most significant contribution to the period. In contrast to emphasizing the events of 1688/89 as a watershed event in constitutional history, Claydon emphasizes the imposition of a new sociability based on the notion of a "virtuous court." Set in diametrical opposition to the supposedly corrupt and debauched court of Charles II, William's propaganda ministers set out to change the image of the royal household by denouncing luxury and discrediting "worldly grandeur" (91). This new message, promulgated by the press and pulpit, according to Claydon, "nationalized" the foreign born King and, more importantly, reconceived of him as "the very embodiment of the new nation" (132). This is the prime achievement of William III's propaganda: It not only elevated him above party criticism thereby giving him much latitude in conducting foreign policy but also forging an ideology that allowed for a critical assessment of the monarchy without creating political crisis and social breakdown. All of Claydon's evidence for the development of a stable polity rests on royal propaganda and even Claydon admits, "It is hard to make any solid claims for the propaganda's achievements" (22). However, despite this problem, Claydon persuasively illustrates how William III's rhetoric of "courtly reformation" and moral reform provided a context for the development of a stable polity and the foundation for the first "modern state" (236).