Orange, William of (1650-1702)

Name:

Orange, William of (1650-1702)

Title:

Soverign Prince of Orange
Stadtholder William III of Orange
William III of England and Ireland
William II of Scotland

Other Names:

William Henry of Orange
"King Billy" (informal, Northern Ireland/Scotland)

Born:

11/04/1650

Birthplace:

The Hague, Dutch Republic

Died:

03/08/1702

Death Location:

Kensington Palace, London, England

Residence:

Netherlands
England

Nationality:

Dutch

Occupation:

Nobility

Father:

William II, Prince of Orange (05/27/1626 - 11/06/1660)

Mother:

Mary, Princess Royal (11/04/1631 - 12/24/1660)

Relations:

King James II (uncle/father-in-law)
King Charles II (uncle)
Elizabeth Villiers (only known mistress)
King Louis XIV (nemesis)

Spouse:

Mary II of England (04/30/1662 - 12/28/1694), m. 11/04/1677

Children:

none

Notes:

Only son of William II, Prince of Orange.
Father died 8 days before birth.
Debate between mother and grandmother over name.
Much contest over guardianship.
Mother displayed little personal interest in her son's upbringing.
Studied at University of Leiden, although never an official student.
Made a child of the state in 1666, after Second Anglo-Dutch War.
Attemts made from 1660 to make William stadtholder.
Became First Noble of the States of Zeeland, 09/19/1668.
Member of the Dutch Council of State, 05/31/1670, with full voting powers.
11/1670, went to England to collect on debt from House of Stuart to House fo Orange. Charles II unable to pay. William reduced debt to 1.8 million.
Much more contained lifestyle than Charles II and James II.
01/1672, wrote letter to Charles II offering alliance in exchange for support in becoming stadtholder. No action by Charles.
02/1672 appointed Captain-General of the Dutch army, for one summer.
1672 - William stalls Anglo-French advances after invasion.
Appointed Stadtholder on 07/04/1672.
Turned down peace offer from Charles II that would have required surrender.
Effected coup in 08/1672, placesd supporters in positions of power.
Forced England out of the war (Treaty of Westminster, 02/19/1674) and reconquered territory from France.
Married first cousin Mary Stuart 11/04/1677.
Uneasy peace with France in 1678.
Joined multiple anti-French alliances in 1680s.
Encouraged Charles II to exclude James II from succeeding him to the throne.
Attempted a reconciliatory approach when James II ascended the throne in 1685, and attempted to get him to join the League of Augsburg.
Openly denounced James religious practices to English people in 11/1687.
Initially opposed to the prospect of an invasion of England, but began building up an invasion force c.04/1688.
Officially invited to invade England by anti-James faction, 06/30/1688.
Intentions to invade publically known by 09/1688.
Landed at Brixham, England, 11/05/1688 with force of 11,000 foot and 4,000 horse soldiers.
Support for James quickly dissolved. Fled to France in December.
William and Mary crowned King and Queen of England and Ireland (04/11/1689), and Scotland (05/11/1689).
Encouraged passing of Act of Toleration (1689).
Passed English Bill of Rights (12/1689).
Attempt by pro-James faction in Ireland (03/1689-07/1690) to get James II back on throne. William personally led his army to victory.
England joined the League of Augsburg, which became the Grand Alliance (1689).
Pro-James uprisings occurred in Scotland (1689), but quashed in short order. Led to 1692 Massacre of Glencoe, which William has countersigned. Dismissed those responsible for the incident under public pressure.
Allegations of homosexual relationships arose in 1690s, but never proven.
Briefly attempted a balanced approach between the Whigs and Tories, but ended by late 1690.
Granted Royal Charter to Bank of England, 1694.
Denied English support for the Scotch Darien scheme, mid 1690s).
Dissolved Parliament in 1695, new Parliament heavily Whig.
Public support for William surged in 1696 after exposure of an assassination plot.
Spent much of reigh fighting in France, Mary ruling in his absence until her death in 1694.
Did not fair well in land fighting in Europe in early 1690s.
09/20/1697 - Treaty of Rijswijk - ended 9 Years War, Louis XIV promised to provide no further support to James II.
Participated in efforts to determine successor to the Spanish throne in late 1690s, including Treaty of the Hague and War of the Spanish Succession.
Further efforts made to ensure no catholics succeeded to English throne. Result was Act of Settlement (1701).
Fell off of horse in 1702, broke collarbone and complications led to a case of pneumonia which killed him.
Death resulted in the end of the House of Orange.