This detailed study -- the first to appear for over fifty years -- traces the course of a critical period of Irish history: from the accession of James II to the surrender of Limerick, which made William of Orange master of the whole country. It takes the story from the Catholic revival that followed the accession of James II to the treaty of Limerick, which led to a century of Protestant ascendancy and penal laws.

Much of the book is concerned with 'the war of the two kings', which coincided with a struggle for power between the Protestant settlers and the older inhabitants who were Catholic. The siege of Derry and the battle of Boyne are still commemorated, and Dr Simms shows how the tensions of modern Ulster have their origins in the seventeenth century.
Considerable attention is paid to the European implications of the conflict, which is shown as part of the contest between Louis XIV and the Grand Alliance. French, Danish and Dutch sources are used to illustrate the course of events in Ireland and, in addition to the military narrative, problems of religion, politics and landholding are discussed.