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William III of England (14 November 1650–8 March 1702; also known as William II of Scotland and William of Orange) was a Dutch aristocrat and the Holy Roman Empire's Prince of Orange from his birth, King of England and Ireland from 13 February 1689, and King of Scotland from 11 April 1689, in each case until his death. Born a member of the House of Orange-Nassau, William III won the English, Scottish and Irish Crowns following the Glorious Revolution, during which his uncle and father-in-law, James II, was deposed. In England, Scotland and Ireland, ruled jointly with his wife, Mary II, until her death on 28 December 1694. He reigned as "William II" in Scotland, but "William III" in all his other realms. Among Protestants in Scotland and Northern Ireland he is also informally and affectionately known as "King Billy" .
William was appointed to the Dutch post of Stadtholder on 28 June 1672, and remained in office until he died. In that context he is sometimes referred to as "William Henry, Prince of Orange" as a translation of his Dutch title, Willem Hendrik, Prins van Oranje. A Protestant, William participated in many wars against the powerful Roman Catholic King Louis XIV of France. Many Protestants heralded him as a champion of their Faith; it was partly due to such a reputation that he was able to take the Crown of England, many of whose people were fervent anti-Catholics (though his army and fleet, the biggest since the Armada, provided more cogent reasons for his success).
His reign marked the beginning of the transition from the personal control of government of the Stuarts to the Parliamentary type rule of the House of Hanover.
Early life
William, the son of William II, Prince of Orange and Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, was born in The Hague. Eight days before he was born, his father died from smallpox; thus, William became the Sovereign Prince of Orange at the moment of his birth.
On December 23, 1660, when William was just ten years old, his mother died of smallpox while visiting her brother, King Charles II in England. In her will, Mary designated Charles as William's legal guardian. Charles delegated this responsibility to William's paternal grandmother, the Princess Dowager Amalia, with the understanding that Charles's advice would be sought whenever it was needed. This arrangement did not prevent Charles from corresponding with his nephew.
In 1666, at the age of sixteen, the States General of the United Provinces officially made William a ward of the government, or as William himself called it, a "Child of State". This was supposedly done in order to prepare William for a role in the nation's government, although what this role would be was left unspecified. When his time as the government's ward ended three years later, William returned to private life.
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William III
King of England, Scotland and Ireland, Stadtholder of the Netherlands
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The Coat of Arms of Queen Anne, the last British monarch of the House of Stuart
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