Paper Summary:

This paper first examines the history of England itself. It then discusses how, in the year 1688, King James II was forcibly removed from power and replaced by William of Orange. James II was a Catholic and determined to reinstate Catholicism in England. It explains that, after the birth of James's son and heir, a party of elder statesmen officially invited William of Orange, a Protestant, to come to England with a conquering army to save the kingdom from the Catholic rule of James II. This was known as the Glorious Revolution. The writer then explains how, by the time of the Glorious Revolution, the English military had progressed from its medieval roots into the modern age. It discusses how the castles and knights of the Middle Ages gave way to muskets and rifles, the seas were controlled by massive ships brimming with heavy cannon, and the feudal society of the nobles' private armies had transformed into a centralized, government-controlled military. It points out that these changes would lay the foundation for future expansion and empire-building on the part of the British.

From the Paper:

"Though everyone has heard of the Viking invasions, a facile idea is current among modern historians that after 1066 England was in some sense invasion-proof because it was surrounded by sea. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the sea is no safeguard at all to those who are not capable of using it for their own defense. For much of the Middle Ages both French and Scots rulers showed a better appreciation of the tactical and strategic use of naval power than their English counterparts. Far from being invasion-proof, English governments were overthrown as a result of overseas invasion on eight occasions between 1066 and 1500 and faced at least seven other successful landings by major forces."

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