Huguenot Soldiers of William of Orange and the G – The Lions of Judah

This book provides the first full-scale, scholarly analysis of the political, religious and social rationale which underlay Huguenot support for William of Orange in 1688. In the context of the Huguenot exodus from France and the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, the role of the Huguenot soldiers within an international Protestant political context is explained through the use of rich biographical and historical detail. By examining William of Orange's role as an international Protestant politician, his relationship with the Elector of Brandenburg and Britain's James II, and the response of all three to the persecution of the Huguenots, the international significance of confessional faith to the events of the Glorious Revolution of 1688 is explained. Special attention is given to the role played by the most prominent Protestant soldiers of William's army, the Huguenot refugees, and the British soldiers of the Anglo-Dutch Brigade. The importance of issues of loyalty and conscience amongst Europe's professional international officer corps is addressed, thereby placing the valuable service rendered to William III by his Huguenot soldiers in an international context encompassing political, religious and social aspects. This book will be a rich source of biographical information about hundreds of Huguenot soldiers in British, Dutch and Brandenburg service in the period 1670 to 1700.