Empire and Frontier
Colonel Peter Schuyler and the Valiant Iroquois in King William's War: 1689-1701
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Pub Date Aug 4 2026 | Archive Date Aug 31 2026
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Description
Empire and Frontier presents a powerful episode of early American history, revealing the very human story of friendship and alliance between Colonel Peter Schuyler and the Iroquois during King William’s War (1689–1701). Like Philbrick’s Mayflower and Gwynne’s Empire of the Summer Moon, this new book reveals how fragile alliances and cross-cultural diplomacy changed the course of empires in North America.
At the heart of the book is Peter Schuyler, a Dutch-American mayor of Albany, Indian Affairs commissioner, and militia colonel who earned deep trust among the Iroquois. Decades ahead of his time in his respect for Native diplomacy and sovereignty, Schuyler helped forge and sustain a fragile alliance between English colonists and the Haudenosaunee (Five Nations of the Iroquois) during a decade of brutal warfare. That alliance, known as The Covenant Chain, not only blocked French ambitions in the region, but also shaped the political and military landscape of the American frontier for the next one hundred years.
Told through multiple perspectives, the book also follows two unforgettable Indigenous figures during the conflict. Lawrence, a Mohawk war captain, serves as Schuyler’s compatriot on the battlefield, working for and navigating the survival of his people. Hilletie van Olinda, a biracial Mohawk-Dutch woman, becomes a key translator and diplomatic go-between, using her language skills and cultural fluency to mediate between the Iroquois and English.
Across a decade of war, espionage, and political intrigue—from the 1689 Leisler’s Rebellion and 1690 Schenectady Massacre to the climactic Grand Settlement of 1701—these intertwined stories reveal the human cost and political complexity behind one of early America’s most consequential alliances.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
“A solid history revives a largely forgotten war.”
— KIRKUS REVIEWS
“Marquis writes with the narrative drive of the best popular historians, and his eye for character, human complexity, and cross-cultural nuance makes this essential reading.”
— GREG GRANDIN, PhD, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian and author of America, América: A New History of the New World
“A gripping, well-researched narrative that illuminates one of the more overlooked chapters in early American history. Vivid and insightful, this book puts you on the gritty edge of the frontier.”
— PATRICK K. O’DONNELL, historian and author of The Unvanquished and Revolutionary Snipers
“Marquis creates a rich narrative interwoven with individual heroism, wartime brutality, political subterfuge, and cultural interconnection.”
— J. D. DICKEY, author of Boston, 1776 and Empire of Mud: The Secret History of Washington, DC
“Marquis reveals a mostly forgotten frontier war and relates how it shaped the American Revolution and modern American life.”
– BOOKLIST
“Fascinating and richly detailed. Out of this polyglot and often brutal frontier came the beginnings of a new kind of politics, for a brand-new kind of nation.”
— SCOTT ELLSWORTH, author of Midnight on the Potomac
“A compelling tale about the colonial world that Indigenous, Dutch, English, and French powers bloodily created together. Fast-paced, quirky, and opinionated, this is a book to be noticed.”
— DANIEL K. RICHTER, PhD, professor at the University of Pennsylvania and author of The Ordeal of the Longhouse
“Samuel Marquis has peopled his vivid history of King William’s War with memorable characters. This fast-paced narrative shows how the Haudenosaunee controlled the fate of European colonists who had been desperate to create profitable communities in the Northeast since Henry Hudson sailed upriver in 1609.”
— PETER C. MANCALL, PhD, author of Contested Continent: The Struggle for North America, c. 1000–1680
“A highly momentous tale, filled with deadly skirmishes and shifting alliances with local Indian tribes along the Albany frontier. Essential reading for anyone interested in great power rivalry during the seventeenth century.”
— JOHN REEVES, author of Grant’s Betrayal: Power, Corruption, and the Theft of the Black Hills
“‘Empire and Frontier’ combines the charm and accessibility of biographical writing and the analytical probing of academic scholarship. Samuel Marquis does a great service to the field of diplomatic history. This biographical approach highlights the role that individuals play in shaping the fates of nations."
— GUY CHET, PhD, Professor of History, University of North Carolina, and author of The Ocean is a Wilderness and The Colonists' American Revolution
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9798897101542 |
| PRICE | $29.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 368 |