Dr David Onnekink, Edinburgh University

Is William a Protestant hero or a cynical politician? One of William's Dutch biographers concluded that his subject remained enigmatic, which can partly be explained from his withdrawn personality, but also from the multiple faces of his reign.

William may be one of the least understood monarchs of England. Taciturn and cold, he was respected but not loved. His unusual youth must have contributed to his character, and he was used to concealing his thoughts and ambitions.

Unsurprisingly, William tended to discuss policy with a small informal circle of confidants. This conduct was criticised by politicians and pamphleteers throughout the closing decade of the seventeenth century, when a parliamentary monarchy emerged. One of William's closest advisers once wrote with some concern that 'Hee hath naturally an aversion to talk with many together ... Loveth single conversations, a prince must have both'.

William was a man of exceptional qualities; he had great stamina and a razor sharp mind. The French ambassador, Count Tallard, once wrote to his master Louis XIV after an audience with William, that he thought that the King saw through his designs and penetrated his thoughts.

William's brilliance in devising policy with his advisers was severely tested in his confrontations with legislative assemblies. Instinctively, he was an autocrat, who despised anyone who opposed him, and he frequently clashed with Dutch regents, but also with the increasingly assertive English MPs.

His stubbornness frequently prevented him from reaching his goal. He lacked the qualities of his uncle, Charles II, who was cunning and well versed in courtly cynicism. But William was intelligent enough to understand that he had to deal with regents and MPs, and he never forced his hand when it seemed inexpedient.

William's success as a statesman lies in the combination of two qualities. First, he was pragmatic when he had to be.

He balanced the interest of various religious and political factions whenever it was in his own interest. To many, indeed, William came across as rather indifferent and disinterested in religion: he encouraged the Toleration Bill which allowed Dissenters freedom of worship, he allowed Catholics, Jews and atheists in his entourage and made alliances with Catholic monarchs when convenient. He also balanced the interest of Tories and Whigs in the ministry.

Second, he was also a visionary, a Protestant hero and a man with high ideals and clear ideas about which policy to pursue. The containment of France was his lifetime ambition, which he pursued relentlessly. Despite his personal inclination for power and authority, he respected the liberties and privileges of both England and the Netherlands. He may have stretched the constitutional boundaries to their limits to achieve his goal, but he never overstepped them.

Portraying William as a chess player may solve the apparent paradox. He was a brilliant political tactician, prepared to wait and make small sacrifices when it seemed expedient. But in the long run he had a clear vision and a goal which he stuck to. All these qualities contributed to the making of a man who turned into a formidable statesman. It was the combination of his shrewd pragmatism and his visionary stubbornness that was responsible for his success.