The weather was probably the sole reason why William III - the Prince of Orange - succeeded in invading and seizing the throne of England.

The objectives behind this Dutch invasion were to restore Protestantism in England, and to ensure that William would not lose the chance of bringing England's wealth and manpower into the great struggle against France. He knew that in order to achieve his aims he would have to expel James II from the throne, who interestingly was the father of his wife Mary.

However, it was the wind that was favourable to William's intentions and helped him to gain control over England and all its desirable resources. On the 20th of October in 1688, William set sail with over two hundred transport ships and an escort of about fifty warships, but the next day the fleet was driven back by a storm.

There were fears at first that the entire invasion would have to be abandoned, but the damage caused by the storm was moderately minor and soon repaired. Now it was just a case of waiting for the wind to veer to the east to send them in the right direction.

Finally on the 1st of November, the 'Protestant wind' began to blow, and William's fleet got underway. This 'Protestant wind' played a key role in the 'glorious revolution' of 1688-9 as it dictated the landing place of William and his fleet. William's original plan was to land in the north where he had many supporters who were eagerly awaiting his arrival to fire up an uprising. But instead, the east wind carried them through the Strait of Dover and down the Channel. William kept away from Portsmouth where there was a large Catholic garrison and went further west.

The wind also held back the English fleet, which was situated off the coast of Essex, expecting William and his convoy to travel north. It was very difficult for the English to sail east to get onto William's altered course, and by the time they had got far enough to take advantage of the wind - William was a long way in front.

On the night of the 4th of November 1688, the wind changed direction to the west and enabled the invader to cut back into Torbay - which he had overshot when the wind was easterly. This sharp change in the direction of the wind drove the English fleet back into the Kent coast, and allowed William and his troops to land undisputed near Brixham.

If the winds had not been in William's favour, then the English fleets laying in wait for his northward travel would have probably thwarted the Dutch invasion. But William and his force successfully went on to invade and conquer England and to seize the throne. He was certainly assisted by the strong easterly winds and the sharp change in its direction.

Related Links:

- Operation Barbarossa
- Agincourt
- Romans
- Normans
- Trojan War
- Persian War
- Battle of Waterloo
- Prince of Orange
- Kublai Khan
- D-Day
- Dunkirk