Roger Williams (soldier)

Roger Williams
The title page of Williams' book The Actions of the Lowe Countres.
Born	c1540
Died	1595 London
Buried at	St. Paul's Cathedral
Allegiance	Dutch Republic; Kingdom of Navarre; Kingdom of England
Battles/wars	Dutch Revolt; Battle of Zutphen; War of the Catholic League

Sir Roger Williams (1539/1540 – 12 December 1595) was a Welsh soldier of fortune and military theorist, who served the Protestant cause, fighting against the Spanish in several theatres of war. Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester said that as a soldier he was "worth his weight in gold". He was later a close associate of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and became a national hero because of his exploits fighting the Catholic League. He has been described as "an obstreperous, opinionated Welsh soldier" who was "Essex's devoted confederate and agent".

In his writings on the art of war, Williams was a strong advocate of the modernisation of armies and the exploitation of new military technologies.

Some Shakespeare scholars have suggested that he was the basis for the pugnacious Welsh captain Fluellen in William Shakespeare's Henry V, a character who is also both argumentative and unflinchingly loyal.

Born in Penrhos, Monmouthshire, Williams was the son of Thomas Williams and his wife, Eleanor, daughter of Sir William Vaughan. He was said by Anthony Wood to have attended Brasenose College, Oxford. He spent most of his life soldiering, mainly on the continent. In his own writings he says that his first experience of war was as a page under William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke, participating in the storming of St. Quentin in 1557. Williams may have pursued his career in the service of Spain, before becoming associated with its enemies, though Sidney Lee thinks this is "doubtful". He is said to have risen to the rank of Colonel in the Spanish forces.

Whether or not he ever served Spain, in 1572 Williams took part in a raid on during the siege of Ter Goes, South Beveland, an outpost of the main Spanish base at Middelburg which was also under siege. The garrison was far larger than they had expected and the attack failed, with many of the raiding party being killed. Williams and Rowland Yorke escaped by crawling out through ditches on their stomachs. In 1577 he joined John Norreys' expedition of English volunteers to the Low Countries, serving as Norreys' military adviser.