William III of Orange short biography. Leader of the Glorious Revolution. How William of Orange settled England. Conflict with Republicans

William belonged to the glorious and famous House of Orange in Holland. Holland was a republic, but the highest position of Supreme Stadtholder was inherited from one Prince of Orange to another. In early childhood, Wilhelm was left an orphan. His father, William II, died a week before his son was born. After the death of the old stadtholder, the party of the States General prevailed over the Orange party (the latter sought to found a monarchy in favor of the Orange dynasty) and ruled the country unchallenged for the next 22 years. The supreme power was handed over to the pensioner Jan de Witt, who tried with all his might to strengthen the republican institutions. At his insistence, in 1654 the so-called Act of Elimination was adopted, according to which the Dutch States pledged not to provide William with either military or civil power. But already in 1660, after the restoration of Charles II in England, the Act of Elimination was canceled, and in 1667: the position of stadtholder was also abolished. In 1670, Wilhelm was admitted to the Council of State with the right to vote. From that moment his political career began.

Wilhelm was a frail, thin man, with a high forehead and a nose curved like an eagle's beak. He had a thoughtful, somewhat gloomy look, compressed lips and a cold smile. From childhood until his death, he was a physically weak and sick person - he suffered from shortness of breath and... had a disposition towards consumption. He was constantly plagued by coughing and severe attacks of headache. However, he received from nature strong passions and lively impressionability, which he knew how to cover up with phlegmatic calm. Surrounded since childhood by spies and enemies, he learned to be cautious, secretive and impenetrable. Only in front of a small number of intimate friends could he cast aside his feigned coldness and become kind, hospitable, frank, even cheerful and playful. He was generously endowed with the qualities of a great sovereign and devoted his entire life to one policy. Sciences, arts and literature did not interest him at all. By nature he had the gift of sarcasm. This made his speech strong and bright. He spoke many languages fluently: Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, English and German. By upbringing he was a strict Calvinist, but he always showed enviable religious tolerance.

Such a person could not remain on the sidelines for long. All he lacked was an opportunity to become the head of the republic. Such an opportunity presented itself in 1672, when the war with France began. First, the States General appointed Wilhelm to the position of captain general. Soon, heavy defeats and the uncontrollable invasion of the French produced a revolution in the minds of the Dutch: all hopes were now placed only on the Prince of Orange. Due to unrest that broke out in many cities, Wilhelm was proclaimed Stadtholder in July. In August, the rebellious mob killed Jan Witt and his brother in The Hague. If Wilhelm was not the direct inspirer of these events, he undoubtedly approved of them wholeheartedly. The entire state submitted to the will of the young stadtholder. He found the country already under French rule, and the Dutch army pushed back beyond the line of dams. There was only one last resort left to stop the enemy, and Wilhelm did not hesitate to use it - he ordered the locks to be opened and the sea was released against the invaders. In the autumn, the Dutch switched from defense to offensive actions, penetrated all the way to Maastricht, then invaded France and besieged Charlesroi. The Elector of Brunswick and Emperor Leopold entered into an alliance with Holland. The appearance of the imperial army on the Rhine forced Louis XIV to divide his troops. Following this, the Spanish king began the war against France. In 1673 the French were driven out of the Netherlands. The Anglo-French fleet, after a fierce battle at Cape Gelder, had to retreat from the Dutch shores. These victories brought Wilhelm enormous popularity. He was declared hereditary stadtholder and captain general of Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht. The war moved to Spanish Belgium. In the summer of 1674, William, at the head of Spanish and Dutch troops, gave battle to the French commander Prince Condé at Senef, near Deven. After much bloodshed, victory, although incomplete, remained with the French. William abandoned his intention to invade France and retreated. The following year, the French captured the entire Meuse line - they took the fortresses of Guy, Lüttich and Limburg. In 1676, William was unable to save the Spanish fortresses of Bouchain and Condé, besieged by Louis XIV himself. He wanted to take revenge for this by taking Maastricht, but was forced to retreat from it. The famous Dutch admiral Ruyter, who went with the squadron to the Mediterranean Sea, was completely defeated there by Admiral Duquesne and himself fell in battle. In 1677, the French captured Valenciennes, Cambrai and Saint-Omer. William tried to liberate the last city, but was defeated at Moncassel. In 1678 he made peace in Amsterdam. Louis returned Maastricht to Holland, and to William the Principality of Orange. Such favorable terms of peace were greatly facilitated by William's marriage to Mary, daughter of the Duke of York (the future English king James II). This marriage was based on pure political calculation and, nevertheless, turned out to be successful. True, at first Wilhelm could not boast of marital fidelity. But Mary endured her sorrows with meekness and patience, and gradually acquired the love and affection of her husband. The Amsterdam peace could not last long. In 1681, Louis took possession of Strasbourg. After this, Wilhelm and the Swedish king Charles XI signed an alliance treaty directed against France in The Hague. The Emperor and the Spanish King soon joined this alliance. In 1686 the union was formalized into the League of Outsburg.

At this time, fate provided Wilhelm with the opportunity to significantly expand his power. In June 1688, he received a formal invitation from England, from Tory and Whig leaders, to take the English throne. They wrote to him that nineteen out of twenty Englishmen were thirsty for change and would willingly unite to overthrow James. The authors of the letter promised the prince complete success if he came to England at the head of a detachment of 10 thousand people. Wilhelm immediately began to prepare for the campaign. It was very important to turn public opinion in our direction. Wilhelm took care of this in advance by drawing up a manifesto, every word of which was thought out and had weight. He announced that he was speaking in defense of the English laws, which were constantly being violated by the present king, and in defense of the faith, which was subjected to such obvious oppression. He swore that he had no thoughts of conquest and that his army would be maintained by the strictest discipline. As soon as the country is freed from tyranny, he will send the troops back. Its sole purpose is to convene a freely and legally elected parliament. He promised to submit all public affairs to this parliament for consideration.

On October 19, William and his fleet sailed to England, but a strong storm and contrary wind forced him to return. This delay disheartened his English allies, but the prince himself reacted to the failure with complete calm. On November 1, he went to sea for the second time. This time he was completely successful. On November 5, the ships entered the harbor of Tore, and William's army, without meeting any resistance, landed on the English coast. The population greeted her with joyful cries. London was very worried in anticipation of further events. All the sympathies of the British were on the side of William. King James tried to escape, was detained on the shore by fishermen and moved to Rochester. After his departure, on December 18, William solemnly entered London. He wisely refused the crown, which was offered to him by right of conquest, and left the resolution of all controversial issues to parliament. Since James's only parliament had been elected in violation of the laws, the House of Lords convened on December 26th those members of the House of Commons who had sat in the last parliament of Charles II. This chamber passed a law granting temporary powers to govern the country to the Prince of Orange and voted him 100 thousand pounds sterling for current expenses. Then elections were called for a new parliament. It met the following year and opened its sessions on 22 January. On January 28, it was decided to consider Jacob's flight tantamount to his formal abdication. The question of who should take the vacant throne caused long controversy. Everyone understood that only Wilhelm could really rule the country now, but the Tories really didn’t want to proclaim him king. They offered to transfer the crown to his wife Maria. To this William replied that he would never agree to be his wife’s servant, and if the power was not given to him personally, he would immediately leave England. In view of this, the Tories reluctantly agreed that the kingship should be transferred to both Mary and William. However, government power was entrusted to William alone and was supposed to remain with him even if he survived his wife. The crown was then to be inherited by their children, and if the marriage remained fruitless, by Mary's sister, Anna. But before entrusting power to William, Parliament adopted a bill of rights: it clearly set out the basic principles of the government of England. Among other things, it was stated that the king, without the consent of parliament, could not impose or collect any taxes, convene an army in peacetime, in any way interfere with the free work of parliament and interfere with the affairs of justice, which should be carried out freely and independently on the basis of existing laws. On April 11, William and Mary were crowned kings of England.

The great advantage of the new sovereign was his sincere religious tolerance. Already in May, he very favorably received a deputation from the Scottish Parliament, which informed him of the restoration of the Presbyterian Church in the country. William tried only to ensure that persecution of followers of Anglicanism did not begin in Scotland. Soon, on the initiative of the king, the “Act of Tolerance” was adopted. Although the religious tolerance it proclaimed was very limited and freed only a small part of dissidents from persecution, the Act nevertheless became an important step towards freedom of conscience. Catholics did not receive any relief, but more for political than religious reasons. Both in England and Scotland, the positions of supporters of the deposed king (they were called Jacobites) were strong, among whom the fanatical Anglican clergy, who were very suspicious of William’s religious tolerance, played a large role. Already in 1689, powerful Jacobite uprisings took place in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands. In the summer of 1690, William crossed at the head of a large army to Ireland. Here, on July 30, a decisive battle took place on the Boyne River, in which the British won a complete victory. Dublin surrendered without a fight. All the rebels' estates were confiscated, many of them were forced to leave their homeland. William was recognized as king in all three parts of the state.

In October, William crossed to the continent to wage war against the French. In February 1691, he went to The Hague, where a large congress of the Allies was taking place. It was decided to field an army of 120,000 against France. But before it could be assembled, Louis XIV, who personally commanded the troops in the Netherlands, took Mons, and Marshal Luxembourg defeated the Dutch army at Leze near Tournai. In June 1692, the French took Namur, and in August the Battle of Stenkerken took place, in which the British and Dutch were again defeated. In July 1693, in a bloody battle near the village of Nerwindem, Wilhelm was defeated for the third time. The Allies lost more than 14 thousand people and all their artillery. However, this victory gave little to the French. Wilhelm quickly recovered. In addition, his opponent, Marshal Luxembourg, soon died. The Duke of Villeroy, who replaced him, was much inferior to him in energy. In 1695, William took Namur. Every year he became more and more dependent on British subsidies. To get them, he was forced to make new concessions to parliament. So a law was passed that the king was obliged to convene parliament every year and that the composition of the House of Commons should be renewed every three years. Censorship was destroyed. Ministers became responsible to parliament rather than to the king.

In 1697, a peace was signed, under the terms of which Louis XIV formally recognized William as the English king. This was an important success, crowning his twenty-five-year struggle against France, but William considered the concluded peace only a respite and wanted to resume hostilities soon. He dreamed of achieving complete victory over Louis, but parliament decisively stood in the way of his plans. In 1699, the deputies decided to reduce the English army to 7 thousand people, and only the English could serve in it (before this, the army was formed mainly from the Dutch). The offended king left for his Dutch residence. The British did not really regret this, but subsequent events showed that William foresaw the future better. Several years of peace passed, and the dispute over the Spanish inheritance began to clearly develop into a new European war against France. An unfortunate fall from a horse and subsequent sudden death prevented the king from taking part in it, but his projects and his hatred of the French were inherited by his successors.

The history of William III of Orange was rich in events, political and military victories. Most English historians highly appreciate his activities as ruler of England and Scotland. At this time, he managed to carry out a number of profound reforms that laid the foundation for the political and economic system of the country.

And also began the rapid rise of the Kingdom of England, which led to its transformation into a powerful power. At the same time, a tradition was established related to the limitation of royal power. This will be discussed in the short biography of William III of Orange given below.

Birth, family

The birthplace of Willem van Oranje Nassou is the de facto capital of the Republic of the United Provinces of The Hague. He was born on November 4, 1650. Looking ahead, let's say about the years of the reign of William III of Orange. He became the ruler of the Netherlands in the position of stadhauder (literally “holder of the city”) in 1672. King of England and Scotland - in 1689. He ruled until his death - March 8, 1702 - in London. It should be noted that our hero was on the throne of Scotland under the name of William 2. At the same time, he became the English king a little earlier - in February, and the Scottish one - in April.

In the family of his father, Stadtholder Wilhelm number two, Prince of Orange, the prince was the only child. In a number of European states, a stadtholder, also known as a stadtholder, is a governor, a person who governs any of the territories of a given state. A position similar to the Doge of Venice.

His mother was Maria Henrietta Stuart - the eldest daughter of the king of England, as well as Scotland and Ireland, Charles I. Her brothers were the sons of Charles I, the future kings Charles II and James II. Thus, the family of William III of Orange was royal.

Name dispute

Literally two days after the birth of the future Prince of Orange, his father died of smallpox. Both his father's titles - prince and stadtholder - were not inherited by law, so little Wilhelm did not receive them right away. Meanwhile, his mother and paternal grandmother came into conflict over what to name the baby. The first wanted to name him Charles, in honor of her father the king. The second managed to insist on naming the boy Wilhelm. She hoped that her grandson would become a stadtholder.

When drawing up his will, Wilhelm's father planned to appoint his mother as his son's guardian, but he did not have time to sign the document. According to a Supreme Court decision in 1651, custody was divided between the child's mother, grandmother and uncle.

Childhood, education

His mother, Maria Henrietta Stuart, did not show much interest in her son. She saw him rarely, always consciously separating herself from Dutch society. At first, the education of William III of Orange was left in the hands of several Dutch governesses. However, some of them were from England. Beginning in 1656, the future Prince of Orange began to receive daily religious instructions given to him by a Calvinist preacher.

A short treatise on the ideal education of the future ruler, the author of which, presumably, was one of the mentors of Orange, has reached our time. According to this material, the prince was constantly told that fate had determined that his life's goal was to become an instrument in the hands of God to fulfill the historical destiny of the Orange family.

Continuing education

From 1959, Wilhelm studied at Leiden University for 7 years, albeit unofficially. After this, Jan de Witt, the grand pensionary, who at that moment actually ruled Holland, and his uncle forced the Dutch states to take responsibility for the formation of Orange. Since this was supposed to serve as a guarantee that he would receive the skills necessary to perform government duties.

Since then, a struggle began for influence on William and his future fate between representatives of the United Dutch Provinces on the one hand and the English royal dynasty on the other.

Dutch intervention in the prince's education began in the autumn of 1660, but it did not last long. When the boy was 10 years old, his mother died of smallpox. In her will, she asked King Charles II to look after her son's interests. In this regard, Charles put forward a demand to the States that they stop interfering in the fate of Wilhelm.

From the end of September 1661, the interference ceased, and the king’s representative, Zuilestein, was “assigned” to the boy. As a result of the 2nd Anglo-Dutch War, a peace treaty was signed, one of the conditions of which was to improve the position of the royal nephew. The US leadership officially declared Wilhelm a student of the government.

After this, Jan de Witt took the boy’s education into his own hands. Every week he mentored the future William III of Orange on issues related to government, and also played with him a game called “real tennis” (a prototype of lawn tennis). The next great pensioner, Gaspar Fagel, showed more commitment to William's interests.

Carier start

The beginning of the career of William III of Orange was far from cloudless. After his father died, some of the provinces stopped appointing the next stadtholder. When the peace Treaty of Westminster was signed, summing up the results of the 1st Anglo-Dutch War, he demanded the conclusion of a secret annex to it.

According to this annex, in order to prohibit the appointment by Holland of representatives of the Orange dynasty to the position of stadtholder, it is necessary to adopt a special act of elimination. However, since the English Republic (with which the Dutch concluded a treaty) ceased to exist after the Stuart restoration, it was recognized that this act had no legal force.

In 1660, William's mother and grandmother made an attempt to persuade some of the provinces to recognize him as a future Stadthouder, but initially none of them agreed. On the eve of the young man's eighteenth birthday, in 1667, the Orange Party made another attempt to bring him to power by assigning him the positions of stadder and captain-general.

Further confrontation

To prevent the restoration of the influence of the Orange princes, de Witt “gave the go-ahead” to the Haarlem pensioner Gaspar Fagel to call on the States of Holland to adopt the so-called Eternal Edict. According to the adopted document, the positions of captain-general and stadtholder of any of the provinces could not be combined in the person of the same person.

However, Wilhelm's supporters did not stop searching for ways that could lead to raising his prestige. To this end, in September 1668, he was proclaimed "First of the Nobles" by the States of Zealand. To accept this title, Wilhelm was forced to secretly arrive in Middelburg unnoticed by his teachers. A month later, his grandmother Amalia gave him permission to independently manage her courtyard, announcing his coming of age.

Abolition of the position of stadtholder

Being a stronghold of the Republicans, the Dutch province in 1670 decided to abolish the position of stadtholder, and 4 more provinces followed its example. At the same time, de Witt demanded that each member of the city council (regent) take an oath supporting the edict. Wilhelm considered this development of events his defeat.

However, his chances for promotion were not exhausted. He had the opportunity to become a member of the army's high command. In addition, de Witt admitted that there was a possibility of making Wilhelm a member of the State Council of the Netherlands. The latter at that time was an authoritative body with the prerogative of controlling the military budget. At the end of May 1670, the Prince of Orange was admitted to the council with voting rights, despite the fact that de Witt insisted solely on participating in the discussions.

Trip to England

In November 1670, William was given permission to travel to England, during which he tried to convince King Charles I to at least partially repay the debt of the Orange dynasty, which amounted to about 3 million guilders. At the same time, the prince agreed to reduce the amount of debt to 1.8 million.

The English king had to make sure that his nephew was a devoted Calvinist and patriot of Holland. Therefore, he canceled his plans to appoint him as head of an entity completely dependent on the English crown, into which he, with the help of France, sought to transform the Republic of the United Provinces, effectively destroying it.

At the same time, William saw that his relatives, the king’s sons Charles and Jacob, unlike him, led a life filled with mistresses and gambling.

Republican position

The next year, it became clear to the leaders of the Republic that it could not avoid the invasion of the British and French. In the face of this threat, the States of Gelderland put forward a proposal to appoint Wilhelm to the post of captain-general in the near future, despite his youth and lack of experience. The states of Utrecht supported this proposal.

However, the States of Holland in 1672 offered to appoint the Prince of Orange to this position for only one military campaign, to which he refused. After this, it was decided to compromise: first, appoint for one summer, and then, when the prince reaches 22 years old, make the appointment permanent.

At the same time, William sent a letter to King Charles, where he invited him, taking advantage of the situation, to put pressure on the Dutch States so that they appointed his nephew as stadtholder. He, for his part, was ready to promote the union of England with the Republic. However, there was no reaction from Charles; he continued to prepare for war.

Proclamation as Stadtholder and marriage

The beginning of the 1670s was marked for the Netherlands by involvement in long wars, first with England, and then with France. On June 4, 1672, at the age of 21, Prince William was finally appointed both Stadtholder and Commander-in-Chief at the same time. Shortly after this, in August, the de Witt brothers were brutally torn to pieces by a mob provoked by the prince's supporters, the Orangemen.

As for the involvement of the Prince of Orange himself in this cruel action, it has not been proven, but there is information that he prevented its instigators from being brought to trial. Moreover, he nominated some of them for rewards in the form of money or high positions.

This, naturally, had a bad impact on his reputation, as did the punitive expedition he initiated in Scotland, which is known in history as the Glencoe Massacre.

During this turning point, the Prince of Orange showed great abilities as a ruler; he distinguished himself by his strong character, which was tempered during the difficult years of republican rule for him. By taking energetic measures, the young ruler managed to stop the advance of French troops and enter into a coalition with Austria, Spain and Brandenburg. With the help of the allies, in 1674 he won a number of victories, and England was taken out of the war.

In 1677 he married. The wife of William III of Orange was his cousin Mary Stuart, who was the daughter of the Duke of York, who later became King James II of England. According to contemporaries, this union was distinguished by extraordinary warmth and goodwill. It was followed, in 1678, by the defeat of the troops of the French king Louis XIV near Saint-Denis, which summed up the war with the French, however, not for long.

Events of the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688

After the English king, who had no legitimate children, died, his place on the throne of England and Scotland was taken by his uncle James II, who was William's father-in-law. He was extremely unpopular both among the people and among the ruling elite. It was believed that his desire was to restore Catholicism in England and conclude an alliance with France.

For some time, Jacob’s opponents had the hope that the king, being an elderly man, would soon leave this world, and his daughter Mary, William’s wife, who was a Protestant, would ascend the English throne. But this hope collapsed when Yakov, who had reached 55 years of age, had a son in 1688, which became the impetus for a coup d'etat.

The main groups, united on the basis of rejection of the policies of James II, agreed to invite the Dutch couple - Mary and William, called upon to replace the “Catholic tyrant”. There were reasons for this. By this time, the Prince of Orange had already visited England several times, gaining popularity there, especially with the Whig party.

Meanwhile, James intensified the persecution of Anglican priests, and he also quarreled with the Tories. Thus, he was practically left without defenders. His ally Louis XIV waged a war for the Palatinate succession. Then the united opposition, consisting of clergy, parliamentarians, townspeople and landowners, secretly appealed to William to lead the coup and accept the crown of England and Scotland.

Victory

In November 1688, William of Orange with an army consisting of 40 thousand infantry and 5 thousand cavalry landed on the English coast. His personal standard bore the inscription that he would support English freedom and the Protestant faith. At the same time, no resistance was offered to Wilhelm. Without any delay, not only the royal army, ministers, but also members of the royal family went over to his side.

One of the decisive factors for the victory was that the coup had previously been supported by King James's closest associate, Baron John Churchill, who commanded the army.

The old king had to flee to France, but this did not mean that he accepted defeat. When the Irish rebelled against England in 1690, James, having received military support from France, made an attempt to regain power. But in the battle of the Boyne, under the personal leadership of William of Orange, the army of Irish Catholics suffered a crushing defeat.

In the January days of 1689, he and his wife Mary were proclaimed by Parliament as monarchs of England and Scotland on a parity basis. It should be noted that the first offer that William received from the Whigs was to become a consort, that is, just the husband of Queen Mary, who was called to reign alone.

However, they expressed a categorical refusal. It so happened that Mary died after five years, and William III of Orange continued to rule the country independently. At the same time, he ruled until the end of his life not only England and Scotland, but also Ireland, while maintaining power in the Netherlands.

What distinguished the years of reign

He then fought on land and sea with Louis XIV, who did not recognize him as king. For this purpose, he created the most powerful army and military personnel. As a result, Louis had no choice but to conclude peace in 1697 and recognize Wilhelm’s legitimacy of power.

But despite this, the French king did not cease to support James II, and after his death in 1701, his son, who declared himself King James III. An interesting fact is that William III of Orange was not only acquainted, but was also on friendly terms with Peter I, the Russian Tsar. The latter, in the period from 1697 to 1698 (Great Embassy), was visiting William - both in England and in the Netherlands.

Important facts

Here are some of the most important facts that marked the reign of William III, which include the following:

The transition to a parliamentary monarchy was facilitated by the adoption of the Bill of Rights and a number of other acts in 1689. They determined the development of the constitutional and legal system in England for the next two centuries.
The signing of the Act of Toleration, although it applied only to Protestants who did not belong to the Church of England, and did not concern the infringed rights of Catholics.
Foundation of the Bank of England in 1694 with the support of the king.
Approval of the Act of Succession in 1701, according to which Catholics and those married to them had no right to lay claim to the English throne.
Approval in 1702 of the creation of the United East India Company.
The flourishing of science, literature, navigation.

In the last years of his life, Wilhelm suffered from asthma. He died in 1702 from pneumonia, which was a complication following a fracture of the shoulder. Since the marriage of Mary and William was childless, Mary's sister Anna became the heir to the throne.

William III of Orange (1650 - 1702) king of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1689, son of Stadtholder William II and English princess Mary Henrietta, daughter of Charles I Stuart. Born November 14, 1650, a week after his father's death. He was brought up by the great pensioner Jan de Witt, at whose insistence he was removed from public office (1654).

In 1673 the French were driven out of the Netherlands. The Anglo-French fleet, after a fierce battle at Cape Gelder, had to retreat from the Dutch shores. These victories brought Wilhelm enormous popularity. He was declared hereditary stadtholder and captain general of Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht. The war moved to Spanish Belgium. In the summer of 1674, William, at the head of Spanish and Dutch troops, gave battle to the French commander Prince Condé at Senef, near Deven. After much bloodshed, victory, although incomplete, remained with the French. William abandoned his intention to invade France and retreated. The following year, the French captured the entire Meuse line - they took the fortresses of Guy, Lüttich and Limburg. In 1676, William was unable to save the Spanish fortresses of Bouchain and Condé, besieged by Louis XIV himself. He wanted to take revenge for this by taking Maastricht, but was forced to retreat from it. The famous Dutch admiral Ruyter, who went with the squadron to the Mediterranean Sea, was completely defeated there by Admiral Duquesne and himself fell in battle. In 1677, the French captured Valenciennes, Cambrai and Saint-Omer. William tried to liberate the last city, but was defeated at Moncassel.

In 1678 he made peace in Amsterdam. Louis returned Maastricht to Holland, and to William the Principality of Orange. Such favorable terms of peace were greatly facilitated by William's marriage to Mary, daughter of the Duke of York (the future English king James II). This marriage was based on pure political calculation and, nevertheless, turned out to be successful. True, at first Wilhelm could not boast of marital fidelity. But Mary endured her sorrows with meekness and patience, and gradually acquired the love and affection of her husband. The Amsterdam peace could not last long. In 1681, Louis took possession of Strasbourg. After this, Wilhelm and the Swedish king Charles XI signed an alliance treaty directed against France in The Hague. The Emperor and the Spanish King soon joined this alliance. In 1686 the union was formalized into the League of Outsburg.

It met the following year and opened its sessions on 22 January. On January 28, it was decided to consider Jacob's flight tantamount to his formal abdication. The question of who should take the vacant throne caused long controversy. Everyone understood that only Wilhelm could really rule the country now, but the Tories really didn’t want to proclaim him king. They offered to transfer the crown to his wife Maria. To this William replied that he would never agree to be his wife’s servant, and if the power was not given to him personally, he would immediately leave England. In view of this, the Tories reluctantly agreed that the kingship should be transferred to both Mary and William. However, government power was entrusted to William alone and was supposed to remain with him even if he survived his wife. The crown was then to be inherited by their children, and if the marriage remained fruitless, by Mary's sister, Anna. But before entrusting power to William, Parliament adopted a bill of rights: it clearly set out the basic principles of the government of England. Among other things, it was stated that the king, without the consent of parliament, could not impose or collect any taxes, convene an army in peacetime, in any way interfere with the free work of parliament and interfere with the affairs of justice, which should be carried out freely and independently on the basis of existing laws. On April 11, William and Mary were crowned kings of England.

Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) Portrait of King William III (1650-1702) (1680s)

William III, Prince of Orange, or Willem van Oranje-Nassau (Dutch. Willem Hendrik, Prins van Oranje; November 14, 1650, The Hague - March 8, 1702, London) - ruler of the Netherlands (stathouder) from June 28, 1672, king of England (under the name William III, English . William III) from February 13, 1689 and King of Scotland (under the name William II, English William II) from April 11, 1689.

By father ( William II of Orange) William III belonged to the Protestant dynasty of the Princes of Orange, influential in the Dutch Republic, and bore the title of prince from birth (10 days before William’s birth, his father died of smallpox). On his mother's side, he is the grandson of the English king Charles I. Since 1666, he was considered by the oligarchy as the heir to the highest post of the republic, stadtholder (stadtholder).

Holland was a republic, but the highest position of Supreme Stadtholder was inherited from one Prince of Orange to another. In early childhood, Wilhelm was left an orphan. His father, William II, died a week before his son was born. After the death of the old stadtholder, the party of the States General prevailed over the Orange party (the latter sought to found a monarchy in favor of the Orange dynasty) and ruled the country unchallenged for the next 22 years. Supreme power was given to the pensionary Jan de Witt, who tried with all his might to strengthen the republican institutions. At his insistence, in 1654 the so-called Act of Elimination was adopted, according to which the Dutch States pledged not to provide William with either military or civil power.

Gerard van Honthorst (1590-1656) Willem III op driejarige leeftijd in Romeins kostuum (1654, Paleis Het Loo Nationaal Museum, Apeldoorn)

Adriaen Hanneman (circa 1604(1604)-1671) Portrait of William III, Prince of Orange, at the age of four. (1654, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam)

Juriaen pool, guglielmo III d"orange, arg, 1655

But already in 1660, after the restoration of Charles II in England, the Act of Elimination was canceled. From 1667, Wilhelm received the right to sit on the State Council, thereby beginning his political career.

Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen (1593-1661) King William III (National Portrait Gallery, London)

After Gerard van Honthorst (1590-1656) Portrait of William III (1650-1702), Prince of Orange. (1673, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam)

In the Netherlands, the young prince was treated with caution, remembering that shortly before his death his father tried to carry out a monarchical coup in the republic and become king.

He was generously endowed with the qualities of a great sovereign and devoted his entire life to one policy. Sciences, arts and literature did not interest him at all. By nature he had the gift of sarcasm. This made his speech strong and bright. He spoke many languages fluently: Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, English and German. By upbringing he was a strict Calvinist, but he always showed enviable religious tolerance.

Jan Davidsz. de Heem (1606-1683/1684) (garland) Jan Vermeer van Utrecht (1630-1695/1697) Flower garland with portrait of William III of Orange, aged 10 (1659 - 1666, Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon)

Jan de Baen (1633-1702) King William III (1668, National Portrait Gallery, London)

Hooghe, Romeyn de. Arnhem, betweeen 20 Jan and 15 Feb the accepting of William III as new leader of Guelre and Zutphen Allegorical representation of the acceptance of William III as stadtholder in Guelders and Zutphen (1675)

The entire state submitted to the will of the young stadtholder. He found the country already under French rule, and the Dutch army pushed back beyond the line of dams. There was only one last resort left to stop the enemy, and Wilhelm did not hesitate to use it - he ordered the locks to be opened and the sea was released against the invaders. In the fall, the Dutch switched from defense to offensive actions, penetrated all the way to Maastricht, then invaded France and besieged Charlesroi.

J. Sorious. Overview of strongholds lost to the French and other important events in the year 1672 (1672-1673, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam)

Already in August 1673, William III achieved a speech against Louis XIV of Austria, Spain, Denmark and Brandenburg, and then on February 19, 1674, concluded a peace treaty with England.
The Elector of Brunswick and Emperor Leopold entered into an alliance with Holland. The appearance of the imperial army on the Rhine forced Louis XIV to divide his troops. Following this, the Spanish king began the war against France. In 1673 the French were driven out of the Netherlands. The Anglo-French fleet, after a fierce battle at Cape Gelder, had to retreat from the Dutch shores. These victories brought Wilhelm enormous popularity. He was declared hereditary stadtholder and captain general of Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht. The war moved to Spanish Belgium. In the summer of 1674, William, at the head of Spanish and Dutch troops, gave battle to the French commander Prince Condé at Senef, near Deven. After much bloodshed, victory, although incomplete, remained with the French. William abandoned his intention to invade France and retreated. The following year, the French captured the entire Meuse line - they took the fortresses of Guy, Lüttich and Limburg. In 1676, William was unable to save the Spanish fortresses of Bouchain and Condé, besieged by Louis XIV himself. He wanted to take revenge for this by taking Maastricht, but was forced to retreat from it. The famous Dutch admiral Ruyter, who went with the squadron to the Mediterranean Sea, was completely defeated there by Admiral Duquesne and himself fell in battle. In 1677, the French captured Valenciennes, Cambrai and Saint-Omer. William tried to liberate the last city, but was defeated at Moncassel.

Johannes Voorhout (1647-1723) King william III of England on horseback (1656, Groninger Museum)

Since the war was waged with varying success, the Peace of Nimwegem was signed in August 1678, according to which the Netherlands returned Maastricht and the Principality of Orange. Immediately after the Peace of Nymwegen, William developed a vigorous diplomatic campaign aimed at isolating France as the most dangerous enemy, threatening to violate the principle of “political balance”. In Wilhelm's correspondence with the emperor and Elector of Brandenburg, broad plans for a joint struggle against France developed.

William Wissing (died 1687). King William III (National Portrait Gallery, London)

But let's return to the life and work of William III. His international authority was significantly strengthened by his marriage to his cousin, the eldest daughter of the Duke of York, Mary (1662-1694), on November 17, 1677. This marriage was based on pure political calculation and, nevertheless, turned out to be successful. True, at first Wilhelm could not boast of marital fidelity. But Mary endured her sorrows with meekness and patience, and gradually acquired the love and affection of her husband. Contemporaries reported that the relationship between the spouses was warm and friendly.

Peter Lely (1618-1680) Portrait of Mary II
Maria II(English Mary II; April 30, 1662 - December 28, 1694) - Queen of England and Scotland since 1689, from the Stuart dynasty (co-ruler of her husband William III of Orange). Eldest daughter of the Duke of York (future James II) from his first marriage to Anna Hyde- daughter of the Earl of Clarendon. Like her mother and younger sister, the future Queen Anne, Mary adhered to Protestantism.

Peter Lely (1618-1680) The Duke and Duchess of York with their two daughters: copyright goes to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. (1668-85)

Maes Nicholas (1634-1693) Mary Stuart II

In 1677, she married her cousin, the Stadthouder of the Netherlands, Prince William of Orange, and went with him to The Hague. Maria gained popularity among the Dutch, but the marriage was unsuccessful and they had no children.
In 1688, during the Glorious Revolution, Mary's father, the Catholic James II, was deposed and fled to France, and Parliament called William and Mary, who had arrived in England, to the throne as co-rulers (neither spouse was consort of the other by marriage, but both reigned as monarchs in their own right, being each other's heirs).
The son of James II, the newborn Prince of Wales, was removed from the throne: Mary officially declared him not her brother, but a foundling. On February 13, 1689, the couple were declared monarchs of England and Ireland, and on April 11, 1689, of Scotland. Mary's dynastic number in both England and Scotland was II, but this meant different Mary Is - Mary I Tudor and Mary Stuart, respectively.

Netscher Caspar (1639-1684) Mary Stuart (1662-1695), 1673 Portrait of Queen Mary II of England and Scotland (1683, Hermitage Museum)

Netscher Kaspar (1639-1684) Willem III (1650-1702), Prins van Oranje,

During her husband's absence in England (he fought with the Jacobites in Ireland or with Louis XIV on the continent, and also from time to time visited his native Netherlands, where he remained the ruler), Mary took charge of the government and made some important decisions herself. So, she ordered the arrest of her own uncle, Lord Clarendon, who plotted in favor of James II. In 1692, the Queen imprisoned John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, a famous military leader and statesman, for some offense (apparently also for connections with the Jacobites). In addition, she was actively involved in filling church positions.

Portrait of Queen Mary Stuart II (1662-1684) of England as Princess of Orange (1676)

Willem Wissing (1656-1687) Portrait of Queen Mary II, when Princess of Orange (1685, Royal Collection)

Willem Wissing (1656-1687) Mary Stuart (1662-1695), wife of William III, prince of Orange (1684-1685, The Netherlands Institute for Cultural Heritage)

Mary II after William Wissing

William Wissing (died 1687). Queen Mary II (National Portrait Gallery, London)

Jan van der Vaardt, engraved by John Smith (1655-1743), published by Edward Cooper. Portrait of Mary II of England in a fontange headdress (lace stiffened with wire) (1688 (date of original portrait)

Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) Portrait of Queen Mary II of England (1662-1694) (1690, Royal Collection)

Maria died at the age of 33 from smallpox. Her sole successor was Wilhelm

This marriage allowed William to claim the English throne. He began to establish contacts with the English Protestant opposition, gradually organizing a circle of his supporters in Britain, and strengthening the alliance against Louis XIV of Bourbon. The marriage to Mary Stuart was the result of a political calculation. William's contacts with the English Protestant opposition aroused suspicion among the Duke of York, who feared that his son-in-law was trying to bypass him to become king of England. These fears were reinforced by the fact that in 1680, at the height of the conflict over the succession to the throne in England, the Prince of Orange offered himself as a “protector” (ruler) under the Catholic king as a guarantee of the preservation of the Protestant faith. After the defeat of the Whig opposition in the early 1680s, William provided its leaders with refuge in Holland.

Portrait of King William III (1650-1702).

The peace concluded with France could not last long. In 1681, Louis took possession of Strasbourg. After this, Wilhelm and the Swedish king Charles XI signed an alliance treaty directed against France in The Hague. The Emperor and the Spanish King soon joined this alliance. In 1686 the union was formalized into the League of Augsburg.

At this time, fate provided Wilhelm with the opportunity to significantly expand his power.

In 1685, after the death of the English king Charles II, who had no legitimate children, William’s uncle and father-in-law took the throne of England and Scotland, James II, unpopular among the people and among the ruling stratum. He was credited with the desire to restore Catholicism in England and conclude an alliance with France. For some time, Jacob's opponents hoped for the death of the elderly king, after which the throne of England would be taken by his Protestant daughter Mary, William's wife.

However, on June 10, 1688, when the 55-year-old James had a son (also named James) from his second wife Mary of Modena (Catholic), anxiety in England reached its climax, since this meant that the heir to the throne would no longer be secret, like the king, but an obvious Catholic. In rejection of the policies of King James, the main political groups united and agreed to invite the Dutch couple, Mary and William, to replace the “Catholic tyrant.” By this time, William had visited England several times and gained great popularity there, especially among the Whigs.

Also in 1688, James II intensified the persecution of the Anglican clergy and fell out with the Tories. He had practically no defenders left (Louis XIV was busy with the war for the Palatinate succession).

Jan Wyck (1644-1702) William III landing at Brixham, Torbay, 5 November 1688 (1688)

In June 1688, William received a formal invitation from England, from Tory and Whig leaders, to take the English throne. They wrote to him that nineteen out of twenty Englishmen were thirsty for change and would willingly unite to overthrow James. The authors of the letter promised the prince complete success if he came to England at the head of a detachment of 10 thousand people. In the summer of 1688, William III began preparations for an invasion of England to remove the unpopular Catholic King James II.
It was very important to turn public opinion in our direction. Wilhelm took care of this in advance by drawing up a manifesto, every word of which was thought out and had weight. On October 10, 1688, William issued a declaration in which he promised to come to the aid of the English nation to preserve "the Protestant religion, liberty, property, and a free parliament." He announced that he was speaking in defense of the English laws, which were constantly being violated by the present king, and in defense of the faith, which was subjected to such obvious oppression. He swore that he had no thoughts of conquest and that his army would be maintained by the strictest discipline. As soon as the country is freed from tyranny, he will send the troops back. Its sole purpose is to convene a freely and legally elected parliament. He promised to submit all public affairs to this parliament for consideration.

After a contemporary copperplate by Romain de Hooghe. Arrival of William III of Orange in England, November 15, 16, 1688

On November 15, 1688, William landed in England with an army of 40 thousand infantry and 5 thousand cavalry. On his standard were inscribed the words: “I will support Protestantism and the freedom of England.” He met no resistance: the royal army, the ministry and even members of the royal family immediately went over to his side. The decisive factor was the support of the coup by the army commander, Baron John Churchill, who had previously been very close to King James II.

The population greeted him with joyful cries. London was very worried in anticipation of further events. All the sympathies of the British were on the side of William. King James tried to escape, was detained on the shore by fishermen and moved to Rochester. After his departure, on December 18, William solemnly entered London. He wisely refused the crown, which was offered to him by right of conquest, and left the resolution of all controversial issues to parliament. Since James's only parliament had been elected in violation of the laws, the House of Lords convened on December 26th those members of the House of Commons who had sat in the last parliament of Charles II. This chamber passed a law granting temporary powers to govern the country to the Prince of Orange and voted him 100 thousand pounds sterling for current expenses. Then elections were called for a new parliament. It met the following year and opened its sessions on 22 January. On January 28, it was decided to consider Jacob’s flight tantamount to his formal abdication. The question of who should take the vacant throne caused long controversy. Everyone understood that only Wilhelm could really rule the country now, but the Tories really didn’t want to proclaim him king. They offered to transfer the crown to his wife Maria. To this William replied that he would never agree to be his wife’s servant, and if the power was not given to him personally, he would immediately leave England. In view of this, the Tories reluctantly agreed that the kingship should be transferred to both Mary and William. However, government power was entrusted to William alone and was supposed to remain with him even if he survived his wife. Then the crown was to be inherited by their children, and if the marriage remained fruitless - by Mary's sister, Anna. But before handing over power to William, Parliament adopted a bill of rights: it clearly set out the basic principles of the government of England. Among other things, it was stated that the king, without the consent of parliament, could not impose or collect any taxes, convene an army in peacetime, in any way interfere with the free work of parliament and interfere with the affairs of justice, which should be carried out freely and independently on the basis of existing laws. On April 11, William and Mary were crowned kings of England.

Ceiling of the Painted Hall, detail of King William III

Engraving of King William III and his wife Queen Mary who shared the English monarchy in the late 17th century. (1689-1703)

Étienne-Jehandier Desrochers (1668-1741) Portrait of Mary II of England. (1689-1741)

Étienne-Jehandier Desrochers (1668-1741) Portrait of Widhelm III

Five years later, Maria died, and Wilhelm subsequently led the country himself. He ruled England, Scotland, and Ireland, also maintaining his power in the Netherlands - until the end of his life.

School of Willem Wissing (1656-1687) Portrait of King William III (1650-1702) (c.1690, National Portrait Gallery, London)

Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) Portrait of King William III of England (1650-1702) in State Robes (1690, Royal Collection)

Pieter (or Petrus) Schenk. Arrival of King William III of England (who was also William III of Orange, Dutch Stadtholder) at his estate at Dieren.(1691)

Ludolf Bakhuizen (1631-1708) The arrival of King-Stadholder Willem III in the Oranjepolder, 31 January 1691. (1692, Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis)

Wake Young (1652-1700) Portrait of William III (1650-1702), full-length, on horseback, at the Battle of the Boyne, 1690

Wake Young (1652-1700) WILLIAM III AT THE BATTLE OF THE BOYNE

Irish Protestants (Orangeists) still celebrate this day as a holiday and honor William of Orange as a hero. The orange color (the family color of the Orange dynasty) on the flag of Ireland is a symbol of Protestants.

Attributed to Thomas Murray (1663-1735) Portrait of King William III of England (1650-1702) (National Portrait Gallery, London)

Willem Wissing (1656-1687) Portrait of William III of England, when Prince of Orange (1685, Royal Collection)

Manner of Willem Wissing (1656-1687) Portrait of William III (1650-1702), Prince of Orange. (1669-1687, Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency)

In October 1690, William crossed to the continent to wage war against the French. In February 1691, he went to The Hague, where a large congress of the Allies was taking place.

Entry of His Majesty William III, King of Great Britain, into The Hague, 5 February 1691 (National Portrait Gallery, London)

It was decided to field an army of 120,000 against France. But before it could be assembled, Louis XIV, who personally commanded the troops in the Netherlands, took Mons, and Marshal Luxembourg defeated the Dutch army at Leze near Tournai. In June 1692, the French took Namur, and in August the Battle of Stenkerken took place, in which the British and Dutch were again defeated. In July 1693, in a bloody battle near the village of Nervindem, Wilhelm was defeated for the third time. The Allies lost more than 14 thousand people and all their artillery. However, this victory gave little to the French. Wilhelm quickly recovered. In addition, his opponent, Marshal Luxembourg, soon died. The Duke of Villeroy, who replaced him, was much inferior to him in energy. In 1695, William took Namur. Every year he became more and more dependent on British subsidies. To get them, he was forced to make new concessions to parliament. So a law was passed that the king was obliged to convene parliament every year and that the composition of the House of Commons should be renewed every three years. Censorship was destroyed. Ministers became responsible to parliament rather than to the king.

Starting left: portrait of William III (1650-1702) by Sir Godfrey Kneller; portrait of Louis XIV (1638-1715) by Hyacinthe Rigaud

After the Peace of Ryswick in 1697, under the terms of which Louis XIV formally recognized William as king of England, William III of Orange made great efforts to reach an agreement with Louis XIV of Bourbon regarding the fate of the Spanish possessions after the death of the childless King Charles II of Habsburg. The French Bourbons and the Austrian Habsburgs were contenders for the Spanish throne. William III of Orange sought to prevent excessive strengthening of either France or Austria.
Quite rightly, William III considered the peace concluded with France only a respite and wanted to soon resume hostilities. He dreamed of achieving complete victory over Louis, but parliament decisively stood in the way of his plans. In 1699, deputies decided to reduce the English army to 7 thousand people, and only the British could serve in it (before that the army was formed mainly from the Dutch). The offended king left for his Dutch residence. The British did not really regret this, but subsequent events showed that William foresaw the future better. Several years of peace passed, and the dispute over the Spanish inheritance began to clearly develop into a new European war against France.

Jacobus Houbraken (1698-1780) After Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) Portrait of Portrait of William III of England (Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco)

At the end of his life, Wilhelm suffered from asthma.

In the last years of his reign, William tried to divide the Spanish possessions among the claimants on the basis of treaties. According to an agreement reached in 1701, the French Prince Philip was to receive Spanish territories in Italy, and Spain itself, along with other possessions, was to go to the Austrian Habsburgs. This project caused criticism in the English Parliament, which believed that British interests were not sufficiently taken into account.
In 1701, an alliance was formed against Louis XIV, known in history as the Great Hague Alliance.
In the same year, the War of the Spanish Succession began. However, English society was not ready for war. It was dominated by fears that a large army under the command of the king could become an instrument for a return to an absolutist regime.
However, after Louis XIV of Bourbon granted French merchants privileges in trade with the Spanish colonies in America, thereby infringing on the interests of the Dutch and English, public opinion changed. In addition, in 1701, James II Stuart, who was living in exile, died, and the French king recognized his son as the legitimate king of England - James III. The English Parliament responded by deciding to increase military spending.
All this made the resumption of hostilities inevitable, but William did not live to see the War of the Spanish Succession begin in May 1702. He died at Kensington Palace on March 19, 1702, from pneumonia, which was a complication after a broken shoulder. The king broke his shoulder in a fall from his horse, and it was rumored that it was caused by the horse stepping into a wormhole. The Jacobites then willingly raised a toast “to that mole” (“the gentleman in the black vest”).

P. van den Berge. Representation of the fall of William III of England of his horse in 1702. Scene of William III falling from his horse in 1702 (1702)

Since his marriage to Mary turned out to be childless, the throne passed to her younger sister Anna, his cousin and sister-in-law, according to the “Act of Succession and Statute of State” (1701), which removed the Catholic branch of the Stuarts from power in favor of the Protestant Hanoverian dynasty. (Shortly before his death (in 1701, after the death of the Duke of Gloucester’s infant nephew) William approved the "Act of Succession", according to which the British throne could not be occupied by Catholics or persons married to Catholics.)

Monument to William III at Kensington Palace

William was personally acquainted and friendly with the Russian Tsar Peter I, who during the Great Embassy (1697-1698) visited the Prince of Orange in both his possessions - both in the Netherlands and in England.

In 1694, with the support of the king, the Bank of England was founded, and in 1702, shortly before his death, the king approved the creation of a united East India Company. The flowering of literature (Jonathan Swift), science (Isaac Newton), architecture (Christopher Wren), and navigation began. Preparations for the mass colonization of North America are being completed. This is commemorated by the name of the capital of the Bahamas “Nassau” (1695).

English historians are almost unanimous in giving William III high marks as the ruler of England and Scotland. During his reign, profound reforms were carried out that laid the foundation of the country's political and economic system. These years saw the rapid rise of England and its transformation into a powerful world power. At the same time, a tradition is being established according to which the power of the monarch is limited by a number of legal provisions established by the fundamental “Bill of Rights of English Citizens”. But for England, Wilhelm remained a stranger. The reason for this was his withdrawn character, his secluded life in Hamptoncourt and Kensington, his cold attitude towards the Church of England, his sympathy for the Dutch and his severity towards the Jacobites. But in Holland he enjoyed popular love.

The Dutch Church, Austin Friars, London EC2 - Window Depicting William III

The Dutch Church, Austin Friars, London EC2 - Window Depicting Mary Regina

Dutch 500 guilder note with a portrait of William III of England, Dutch stadtholder and Prince of Orange. (1930)

In 1688, England experienced the second revolution in its history. Unlike the first, it turned out to be much less bloody, but it had a much greater impact on the subsequent development of Foggy Albion. The uniqueness of this revolution, called the “Glorious”, also lies in the fact that its leader was a representative of the monarchical family and a relative of the previous English king.

Willem van Oranje-Nassau, Prince of Orange, was born in The Hague on November 14, 1650, a year after he was executed in England Charles I Stuart. It is unlikely that any of the baby’s loved ones could have thought at that moment that he would ascend to the English throne.

William's parents are William II of Orange and Mary Stuart. Gerrit van Honthorst. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Son Stadtholder (ruler) of the Republic of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, William II of Orange was born after the death of his father, who died of smallpox. A serious dispute broke out between the mother and grandmother of the baby over what to name the newborn. In the end, grandma took over Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, who ensured that the boy was named Wilhelm in honor of his father.

Wilhelm's mother Maria Henrietta Stewart, was the natural daughter of the executed English king Charles I.

The question of who should raise little Wilhelm was decided by the Supreme Court of Holland and Zealand. The judges' verdict stated that custody would be shared by his mother, paternal grandmother and Elector of Brandenburg Friedrich Wilhelm whose wife Louise Henrietta was the older sister of the baby's father.

A young prince among flowers in a portrait by Jan Davids de Heem. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Nephew and Uncle

Maria Henrietta Stuart was not particularly interested in her son. While remaining an Englishwoman, she was burdened by life in the Netherlands and did not try to become part of Dutch society. In 1660, when Mary's brother came to power in England as a result of the restoration Charles II, she hurried to visit her homeland, where she died of smallpox. True, before this, Maria asked the royal brother to help her nephew.

Wilhelm was brought up in the Protestant faith, studied for seven years at the University of Leiden, preparing to govern the state. At this time, serious battles were going on in the Netherlands between republicans and supporters of the Orange dynasty about what powers the future stadtholder should have and whether William should be allowed to take this position.

From the age of 16, Wilhelm was officially listed as a student of the Dutch government, but even when he came of age, he did not receive power.

Only in 1670, Wilhelm was included in the Council of State of the Netherlands with voting rights.

That same year, William received permission to travel to England to visit his uncle, Charles II, to try to repay at least part of the monarch's debt to the Orange dynasty, which amounted to almost 3 million guilders.

The meeting disappointed both. The English king saw before him a 20-year-old staunch Protestant, a patriot of the Netherlands, whom it was difficult to use in his intrigues.

Wilhelm was surprised to see that Charles II would rather spend his time gambling and meeting with mistresses than in government affairs. Moreover, Karl was not ready to repay the debt, complaining about the lack of funds.

William of Orange in 1672. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Catholic father-in-law versus Protestant son-in-law

In the early 1670s, the Netherlands became embroiled in a series of wars with England and France. Under these conditions, William of Orange, who was 21 years old, was finally proclaimed stadtholder and commander-in-chief of the army.

As commander-in-chief, William of Orange was able to repel the attack of powerful enemies, organize a new coalition with Brandenburg, Austria and Spain, forcing England to withdraw from the war in 1674.

In 1677, William married Maria, the niece of the English king, who was his cousin. It was this marriage that would open the way for William himself to the English crown.

William's wife, Queen Mary II. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

In 1685, Charles II died and ascended to the English throne. James II, brother of the deceased, uncle and father-in-law of William of Orange.

James II was a Catholic and began to strengthen the position of the Catholic minority in the country, while at the same time forming a powerful new army, the basis of which were Catholics from Ireland. Parliament was dissolved. In 1687, the king issued a "Declaration of Religious Toleration" favorable to Catholics. The king appointed Catholics to all key posts in the country, and anyone who showed the slightest dissatisfaction or disobedience was immediately removed from their positions.

Oppositionists from among the adherents of the Anglican Church began to leave abroad, finding refuge, including in the Netherlands.

The unexpected heir

The situation was further aggravated by the fact that at the same time French King Louis XIV, who supported the policies of James II, began persecuting Protestants, forcing them to leave the country. James II responded to the discontent of the Anglican clergy by arresting 10 of the most influential bishops. Such a tough course alarmed even the chief Catholic - Pope Innocent XI, who advised the English king to cool down his ardor somewhat. But James II did not want to listen to anyone.

James II. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

The matter did not come to a riot for one reason - the Protestants really hoped that the situation would resolve itself. James II was already over 50 years old, and most of his children died in infancy. There were no sons left at all, which meant that the crown had to go to the daughters Maria And Anna raised in the Protestant faith. The husband of the eldest, Mary, who was first in line to the throne, was William of Orange.

However, on June 10, 1688, it was announced that James II and his wife Maria of Modena a son was born who was declared heir to the throne.

Protestant plans for a peaceful deliverance from the Catholic king collapsed. In addition, many in England suspected that the birth itself was a fraud. The spread of this version was facilitated by James II himself, who allowed only Catholics as witnesses at the birth.

Wilgelm the conqueror

While the king was rejoicing at the birth of his son, a conspiracy formed behind his back. Seven prominent English politicians wrote a secret invitation to William, assuring that 19 out of 20 Englishmen would be very happy about the coup and the accession of a Protestant king.

William III of Orange. William Wissing. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

He informed William of Orange about his support for the plans of the conspirators and Commander-in-Chief of the British Army John Churchill.

For some time, Wilhelm hesitated, fearing an invasion by the French army, but it became involved in the war in Germany. After this, the Stadtholder of the Netherlands made up his mind.

On November 15, 1688, William of Orange landed in England with an army of 40 thousand infantry and 5 thousand cavalry. His banner read: “I will support Protestantism and the freedom of England.” The army consisted of English emigrants and European Protestants.

James II moved towards the enemy, but the English army, instead of resisting, en masse went over to his side. Revolts against the king began throughout the country.

Abandoning the remnants of the army, James II went to London. Having evacuated his family to France, he tried to negotiate with William of Orange. However, negotiations required a strong position, which the king did not have.

At the beginning of December 1688, London swore allegiance to William of Orange. James II was caught trying to escape. But William did not want his uncle and wife’s father to repeat the fate of Charles I. He helped Jacob escape to France.

King of the parliamentary era

English conservatives wanted Mary to take the throne, and William to remain a non-ruling consort, but this option did not suit the Prince of Orange himself. As a result, in January 1689, Parliament proclaimed William and his wife monarchs of England and Scotland on equal terms.

Engraving of King William III and his wife Mary. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

The successful completion of the Glorious Revolution was marked by the adoption of the Bill of Rights, an act that limited the power of the monarch for the first time. The king was deprived of the right to suspend laws, to establish and collect taxes for the needs of the crown, to form and maintain a standing army in peacetime. In turn, citizens received the right to free elections to parliament, to freedom of speech and debate, and to submit petitions to the king. The imposition of fines and confiscation of property without a court order were prohibited, and a ban was introduced on cruel and unusual punishment. The 1689 Bill of Rights was the first such document in history.

William of Orange, who ruled England under the name of King William III, carried out profound reforms that laid the foundation for the country's political and economic system.

With his support, the Bank of England was founded and preparations for the British colonization of America were completed. Wilhelm patronized the development of navigation, science and literature.

Supporters of James II attempted restoration, but the troops of William of Orange inflicted defeats on them, first in Scotland and then in Ireland. The victory over the Catholics at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 is still celebrated by Irish Protestants as a great holiday, on which they dress in orange, the family color of the House of Orange.

The Battle of the Boyne, Jan van Hutchenburg. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Heirs in order of priority

The joint reign of Mary and William lasted five years, until the death of his wife. Wilhelm outlived her by a little over seven years. In the spring of 1702, the 52-year-old king broke his shoulder in a fall from a horse. The monarch, who by that time suffered from asthma, subsequently developed pneumonia, which he could no longer cope with. On March 8, 1702, William III of Orange died in London.

He and Mary had no children, and the crown passed to Anne, Mary's younger sister, also childless.

Despite this, a dynastic crisis did not break out. The “Act of Succession to the Throne,” approved in 1701 by William of Orange, streamlined the line to the throne, excluding from it Catholics, persons married to Catholics, and their offspring. The priority of Protestant rulers in Great Britain was secured.

William III of Orange is still revered in Great Britain as one of the most respected monarchs in the country's history.