William III

1650-1702. Prince of Orange and Stadholder of the Netherlands. 1689-1702 King of Great Britain and Ireland. 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). They sent a Letter of Invitation in June 1688, which was both unclear given that they did not define what was expected from him, as well as illegal since they acted against the reigning king. William III arrived in England on 5 November 1688. Later, William and his wife Mary 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. Oxford: Blackwell, 1998.