Dr David Onnekink, Edinburgh University

Henry Kissinger once wrote that William III was one of the greatest statesmen of the early modern age. He reshaped the map of Europe and was responsible for the development of a system of international relations that would hold sway until the 20th century.

'Balance of Power' was a phrase first coined during William's reign. It described the relations between the Great Powers of Europe. Later it would describe foreign policy: only if the major powers would balance each other could large-scale warfare and hegemony be prevented. The system re-emerged after the French revolutionary wars and only collapsed finally during the First World War.

The Balance of Power was never consciously constructed but emerged out of events. Following the end of the relentless Thirty Years War in 1648, Europe experienced a brief spell of relative peace. In 1668, however, Louis XIV of France revealed his expansionist ambitions. In 1672 France joined with England to crush the Dutch Republic, and during the 1680s France slowly but surely extended its borders. Political analysts worried about Louis's claim to 'Universal Monarchy', to dominate Europe.

The Dutch were confronted by France for the first time in 1668. Between 1672 and 1713 they would be at war with France almost continuously. The architect of the anti-French coalition was William III. He managed to find support for his policy during the 1670s when France attacked, but less so during the 1680s.

Only after the Glorious Revolution did he manage to construct a solid coalition between the Emperor, the Dutch Republic and Britain to withstand Louis XIV. Indeed, according to the Marquis of Halifax, William 'hath such a mind to France, that it would incline one to think, hee tooke England onely in his way'.

William learned to think as a European. He was raised at a court with international allure. His mother Mary had been English, his father William a Dutchman. He spoke French fluently, and held possessions in Germany and France. He employed German generals, a Scottish chaplain, French architects and Portuguese-Jewish agents.

The war with France forced William to seek allies abroad, in Germany, Spain, Austria and Italy. Gradually a defensive strategy evolved that necessitated him to think in European terms. In the 1690s the English fleet had winter quarters in the Mediterranean in order to surround France. By 1695 the Balance of Power was in place; neither the 'High Allies' nor France was able to achieve a decisive victory, and peace was concluded in 1697.

When William died in 1702, his war policy was continued for another decade. At the Peace of Utrecht in 1713 his life-long aim to contain and neutralise France had been achieved. In its treaty with Britain, France agreed to recognise Queen Anne and end its support for James Edward, the son of the deposed King James II.

William's developing European perspective is best described by a historian: 'Gradually he ceased to be Dutch; British he never became. In the end, William and his closest collaborators became emphatically European.'