'''William III''' (1650-1702) also known as '''William of Orange'''; was the king of [[England]], [[Ireland]], and [[Scotland]] from 1682-1702. He ruled jointly with his wife, [[Mary II]], until her death in 1694; thus the reign of '''William and Mary.''' He was Prince of Orange and Stadholder of the [[Netherlands]].<ref>He was William III as king of England; he was William II as king of Scotland; historians call him William III. "Prince of Orange" was just an inherited title--there was no country called "orange".</ref> As the leader of the [[Glorious Revolution]] of 1688 he replaced King [[James II]] of England, after the latter fled to France. William reigned jointly with his wife [[Mary II|Queen Mary]]; she followed his wishes. Through him the parliamentary and Protestant causes achieved a permanent triumph in Britain. However William's main goal was always to form a Europe-wide coalition against the French; he took the throne of England primarily to achieve this goal. | '''William III''' (1650-1702) also known as '''William of Orange'''; was the king of [[England]], [[Ireland]], and [[Scotland]] from 1682-1702. He ruled jointly with his wife, [[Mary II]], until her death in 1694; thus the reign of '''William and Mary.''' He was Prince of Orange and Stadholder of the [[Netherlands]].<ref>He was William III as king of England; he was William II as king of Scotland; historians call him William III. "Prince of Orange" was just an inherited title--there was no country called "orange".</ref> As the leader of the [[Glorious Revolution]] of 1688 he replaced King [[James II]] of England, after the latter fled to France. William reigned jointly with his wife [[Mary II|Queen Mary]]; she followed his wishes. Through him the parliamentary and Protestant causes achieved a permanent triumph in Britain. However William's main goal was always to form a Europe-wide coalition against the French; he took the throne of England primarily to achieve this goal. |