William III

William III (Prince of Orange and Stadholder of the Netherlands) was born in 1650 and died in 1702, at the age of 51 years. He was King of Great Britain and Ireland during 1689-1702 years. His father was William II of Orange and his wife was Mary II (the sister of Charles II and James II). William III was invited to England by seven English politicians (both Tories and Whigs) to become the English monarch. They sent a Letter of Invitation in June 1688, which was both unclear given that they didn’t define what was expected from him, as well as illegal since they acted against the reigning king. William III and his wife Mary II arrived in England on 5 November 1688. Later, they were offered to reign as joint monarchs.

Sources

• Maurer, Michael. Kleine Geschichte Englands. Stuttgart: Reclam, 1997.
• "The Act of Settlement." royal.uk, https://www.royal.uk/william-and-mary.
• “William III (r. 1689-1702) and Mary II (r. 1689-1694)”, ‘royal.uk’, https://www.royal.uk/william-and-mary
• David, Smith L. A History of the Modern British Isles 1603-1707. Blackwell, 1998.