Mahan connects the French naval campaign of 1690 with William's unopposed passage to Ireland and the defeat of James II at the Boyne. William arrived with the substantial army that France had failed to interrupt at sea. After James fled, French demonstrations along the English coast produced no corresponding rising in his favour. Fighting continued in Ireland, but the continental war limited the reinforcements and supplies Louis XIV could provide. In Mahan's interpretation, the failure to obstruct William's movement mattered more than the conspicuous French victory at Beachy Head. The resulting Anglo-Dutch partnership combined maritime commerce and wealth to sustain the wider coalition war.
Notable Point · 3:13:26-3:16:40
French sea control failed to stop William's strategic movement
France won conspicuously at sea in 1690 yet failed to prevent William III from moving the army that secured his position in Ireland and England.