William II of Scotland
| William III | |
|---|---|
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Portrait by Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1680s
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| King of England, Scotland and Ireland (more ...) | |
| Reign | 13 February (11 April in Scotland) 1689 – 8 March 1702 |
| Coronation | 11 April 1689 |
| Predecessor | James II & VII |
| Successor | Anne |
| Co-monarch | Mary II |
| Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland and Overijssel | |
| Reign | 4 July 1672 – 8 March 1702 |
| Predecessor | William II |
| Successor | William IV |
| Prince of Orange | |
| Reign | 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702 |
| Predecessor | William II |
| Successor | John William Friso |
| Born |
4 November 1650 [N.S.: 14 November 1650] Binnenhof, The Hague |
| Died | 8 March 1702 (aged 51) [N.S.: 19 March 1702] Kensington Palace, London |
| Burial | Westminster Abbey, London |
| Spouse | Mary II of England (m. 1677) |
| House | Orange-Nassau |
| Father | William II, Prince of Orange |
| Mother | Mary, Princess Royal |
| Signature |  |
William III (Dutch: Willem; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702; also widely known as William of Orange) was sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 1672, and King of England, Ireland, and Scotland from 1689 until his death. It is a coincidence that his regnal number (III) was the same for both Orange and England. As King of Scotland, he is known as William II. He is informally known by sections of the population in Northern Ireland and Scotland as "King Billy".
William inherited the principality of Orange from his father, William II, who died a week before William's birth. His mother Mary, Princess Royal, was the daughter of King Charles I of England. In 1677, he married his fifteen-year-old first cousin, Mary, the daughter of his maternal uncle James, Duke of York.
A Protestant, William participated in several wars against the powerful Catholic king of France, Louis XIV, in coalition with Protestant and Catholic powers in Europe. Many Protestants heralded him as a champion of their faith. In 1685, his Catholic father-in-law, James, Duke of York, became king of England, Ireland and Scotland. James's reign was unpopular with the Protestant majority in Britain. William, supported by a group of influential British political and religious leaders, invaded England in what became known as the "Glorious Revolution". On 5 November 1688, he landed at the southern English port of Brixham. James was deposed and William and Mary became joint sovereigns in his place. They reigned together until her death on 28 December 1694, after which William ruled as sole monarch.
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