The Last Invasion of England: 1688 and the Dutch Armada

An electrifying narrative history that reframes Britain’s constitutional revolution as a full-scale Dutch invasion.

My latest book, published by Princeton University Press, released on 22 September 2026.

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In popular accounts of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the autocratic Catholic King James II was ousted by his subjects and replaced by his Protestant daughter Mary Stuart, wife of James’s nephew, the Dutch William III of Orange. Devoted to her husband, Mary would not accept the crown alone, and so William and Mary were crowned together, securing a smooth dynastic succession. The Last Invasion of England recounts the forgotten campaign that carried William and his army to English shores and led directly to James’s fall, bringing a revolutionary age vividly to life—and rewriting the history of Britain, Europe and the transatlantic world more widely.

In this bold work of revisionist history, I tell the momentous story of the Dutch Armada, describing the immense risks and near failures of the last seaborne invasion of England—which occurred exactly one hundred years after the defeat of the Spanish Armada. The sixteen thousand Dutch troops who accompanied William were not on hand for moral support. They came with sword, musket and cannon. I argue that the political revolution in Britain could not have been achieved without the willpower, might and resources of William and the Dutch nation, and explain why the Dutch Republic, a small state that celebrated peace and commerce above all else, would dare to undertake a reckless preemptive military strike on its more powerful neighbour.

Transforming our understanding of the Glorious Revolution and Britain’s ascendancy as a global powerhouse, The Last Invasion of England relies entirely on contemporary sources, many from leading protagonists who prepared and executed the invasion, evoking the historical realities of the women and men who lived during turbulent and uncertain times.

The last invasion of england will appear in Dutch translation with prometheus in january 2027

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Not Just the Tudors - Suzannah Lipscomb

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praise and reviews

"Engrossing. . . .Arthur der Weduwen has produced a work of fine scholarship and impressive literary skill. As a vivid panorama of invasion, it more than bears comparison with the 70-metre embroidery currently on loan from Bayeux."-John Adamson, Literary Review

“By literally reorienting the approach to the events of 1688, this original, stimulating and lucid study convincingly rewrites the ‘Glorious Revolution’ as a Dutch invasion.”—Tim Blanning, University of Cambridge

“This is an absorbing and transformative book, packed with fresh and vivid detail, and full of insights regarding its leading protagonists, in terms of their strategic aims, their tactical manoeuvres, and their missteps, as well as their battles for hearts and minds. Crucially, the insistence upon recovering Dutch perspectives, and an immersion in Dutch sources, has yielded a bold and persuasive new argument about the origins, meaning and purpose of the so-called ‘Glorious Revolution.’”—Jason Peacey, author of The Madman and the Churchrobber: Law and Conflict in Early Modern England

“Among the many astonishing feats of the Dutch Golden Age, few were more astonishing than the successful invasion of the British Isles in 1688. Arthur der Weduwen explains why William of Orange felt compelled to undertake this ‘reckless undertaking,’ as one well-informed contemporary called it. His gripping story is peppered with many hitherto unknown details.”—Maarten Prak, coauthor of Pioneers of Capitalism: The Netherlands 1000–1800

“This fine study will shock those who think that the last successful invasion and conquest of England took place in 1066. The correct date is 1688. Arthur der Weduwen skillfully combines British and continental sources in many languages to provide a definitive narrative and analytical account of how a foreign army from the Dutch Republic could land in Devon in November and occupy London within a month.”—Geoffrey Parker, coauthor of Armada: The Spanish Enterprise and England’s Deliverance in 1588

“Der Weduwen’s thoroughly researched and elegantly written book offers a thought-provoking narrative of the Glorious Revolution that will appeal to both specialised and lay readers. The time had come for a fresh perspective on the Glorious Revolution. This is it!”—Charles-Edouard Levillain, Paris Cité University

“A fresh and engaging take on the astonishing Dutch invasion of England in 1688, packed with vivid details that explain the success of this extraordinary gamble.”—Tony Claydon, author of William III