Kjeld Hald Galster

Danish Troops in the Williamite Army in Ireland, 1689-91 Kjeld Hald Galster

About 15% of the troops that fought on the Williamite side at the Battle of the Boyne were Danish. Well organized and equipped with state of the art weapons - flintlock muskets, plug bayonets, grenade guns, and chevaux-de-frises - they were a potent weapon in William III's armory. This book looks at the Danish contingent in William's multi-national force fighting in Ireland in 1689-91. The book examines how the Danish king, Christian V, essentially hired out a portion of his army due to the deplorable state of national finances, his desire to give his troops and officers some valuable combat experience, and his support of a fellow Protestant monarch. It then follows the Danish troops through the course of their Irish campaign, and it utilizes a wide variety of sources to illuminate the leading personalities and key events of the war, as seen particularly from the Danish perspective.