King William’s War was the North American theater of the Nine Years’ War (1688-1697). It was fought between New France and New England along with their respective Native allies before France ceded its remaining mainland territories in Orth America east of the Mississippi River in 1763. It is also know as the Second Indian War, Father Baudoin’s War, Castin’s War, the mournful Decade, or the First Intercolonial War.

     The war was largely caused by the fact that the treaties and agreements that were reached at the end of the First Indian War (1675–1678) were not adhered to. In addition, the English were alarmed that the Indians were receiving French or maybe Dutch aid. The Indians preyed on the English and their fears by making it look as though they were with the French. The French were fooled as well, as they thought the Indians were working with the English. Those occurrences, in addition to the fact that the English considered the Indians as their subjects, despite the Indians’ unwillingness to submit, eventually led to two conflicts, one of which was King William’s War.

            The English settlers were more than 154,000 at the beginning of the war and outnumbered the French 12 to 1. However, they were divided into multiple colonies along the Atlantic coast, which were unable to cooperate efficiently, and were engulfed in the Glorious Revolution, which created tension among the colonists. In addition, the English lacked military leadership and had a difficult relationship with their native Iroquois allies.

Source: Wikipedia (6 Aug 2026)