John Gibney, Trinity College Dublin

William III, Prince of Orange, was born into a family who had already established themselves as Protestant champions in Europe. His grandfather, William the Silent, had led the revolt against Spanish rule (and Catholicism) in the Netherlands towards the end of the sixteenth century. William III first adopted the mantle of a Protestant saviour in the Netherlands in the early 1670s.

His intervention in England took place on the eve of war with Catholic France. But defending Protestantism was not a priority for the Dutch merchants and political elite who backed the invasion, or even for William, who was more concerned with preventing a possible alliance between England and France. Strategy was more important than religion, but the defence of Protestantism was the excuse.

A strong believer in religious tolerance, William's Protestantism was not militant. But it was excellent propaganda, and his Protestant image eased his path to the English throne. He employed anti-Catholic rhetoric in England, and Williamite propaganda painted the Irish war in religious terms. However, William remained intent on imposing religious tolerance to secure English and European approval for his actions; he played down the religious issue when dealing with Catholic allies in Europe. Equally, when dealing with Scottish Presbyterians he refused to accept their more extreme demands.

In Ireland, he had sought a settlement with Tyrconnell early in 1689, suggesting that religion was not his priority there. But William could not ignore the reality of Jacobite strength in Ireland, or the possibility that it might be used to spearhead a French attack on England. He arrived in Ireland to complete the task started by Schomberg, and to inflict a rapid and decisive defeat upon the Jacobites.

He spent less than three months in Ireland, from 15 June to 5 September 1690, and never returned. The war there dragged on until October 1691. William had other priorities. Irish Protestants also had other priorities; they were deeply concerned about their security. As in Britain, Protestant attitudes towards William remained uncertain even after the Glorious Revolution.

Memories of the 1641 rebellion, the presence of the French, and the threat to Protestant landholders had alienated Irish Protestants, of all denominations, from James II. Their recurring fears seemed to be on the verge of reality by 1689. William's campaign (and especially his victory at the battle of the Boyne) was seen as salvation from destruction. Regardless of his motives, it proved to be in their own best interests. Survival was their priority; in William of Orange, many Irish Protestants saw a figure who had provided it.

But William's reluctant intervention in Ireland was dictated by a European war, not Irish Protestantism. If he became the champion and saviour of Irish Protestants, it was incidental to his wider ambitions. The generous terms originally granted to William's Irish enemies suggested that his new Irish allies were not his priority. But a Dutch Protestant victory in Ireland in 1691 permitted the creation of an Irish Protestant ascendancy. In time, they would obtain their own victory.