ON THIS DATE
William & Mary were crowned King & Queen of England (joint monarchs) 4/11/1689, at the invitation of Parliament – an event called The Glorious Revolution.”
William was born 11/4/1650 at The Hague to William II of Orange (who died of smallpox 8 days before his birth) & his mother, daughter of England’s Charles I, (died also of smallpox when William III was 10). Also called William Henry, prince of Orange (Dutch – Willem Hendrik, prins van Oranje) he was groomed to head the House of Orange & become a ‘Stadtholder’ (lead the Dutch Republic). He died 3/8/1702.
Mary was born 4/30/1662, at London to King James II of England. Her parents were converts to the Roman Catholicism but thankfully she was raised “Protestant” (i.e. was not RC). This allowed her to form a soul union with William of Orange, a champion against the power/politics of the catholic system. They were married 11/4/1677 (his 27th birthday). Sadly she also, Queen Mary II, died of smallpox, 12/28/1694.
The joint rule of William III & Mary II happily helped England remain independent of Rome, which she had not been under Mary’s father (James II), who was openly Catholic, nor under her uncle (Charles II) who was also Roman Catholic, howbeit secretly. William and Mary College in the US was endowed by William III. He was reportedly so admired & loved in Scotland that they called him “King Billy.”
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