Birth and family
William III was born in The Hague in the Dutch Republic on 4 November 1650. Baptised William Henry (Dutch: Willem Hendrik), he was the only child of Mary, Princess Royal, … 查看更多內容

"Disaster year": 1672
For the Dutch Republic, 1672 proved calamitous. It became known as the Rampjaar ("disaster year") because in the Franco-Dutch War and the Third Anglo-Dutch War, the Netherlands was invaded by France and … 查看更多內容

Jacobite resistance
Although most in Britain accepted William and Mary as sovereigns, a significant minority refused to acknowledge their claim to the throne, instead believing in the divine right of kings, which held that the monarch's … 查看更多內容

In 1702, William died of pneumonia, a complication from a broken collarbone following a fall from his horse, Sorrel. It was rumoured … 查看更多內容

Exclusion from stadtholdership
After the death of William's father, most provinces had left the office of stadtholder vacant. At the … 查看更多內容

Invasion of England
William at first opposed the prospect of invasion, but most historians now agree that he began to assemble an expeditionary force in April 1688, as it became increasingly clear that France would remain … 查看更多內容

Mary II died of smallpox on 28 December 1694, leaving William III to rule alone. William deeply mourned his wife's death. Despite his … 查看更多內容