William III was the sovereign Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of several provinces of the Dutch Republic from 1672 to 1702, and King of England, Ireland, and Scotland from 1689-1702. He led the Glorious Revolution, which earned him the English and Irish Monarchy with his wife Mary II.

See the fact file below for more information on William of Orange or alternatively, you can download our 26-page William of Orange worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BIOGRAPHY 

• William III was born as William Henry on November 4, 1650, in The Hague in the Dutch Republic. He was the only child of William II, Prince of Orange and Mary, Princess Royal of England. 
• He was born as a member of the House of Orange-Nassau and raised as a Protestant. His father died eight days before he was born, leaving him under the guardianship of his mother, his paternal grandmother, Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, and the husband of his father’s sister, the Elector of Brandenburg, Frederick William.  
• Even though his mother fought for his guardianship, Princess Mary showed little interest in her son and chose to spend her years enjoying the luxurious French life.
• According to the book the Discours sur la nourriture de S.H. Monseigneur le Prince d’Orange, William III was a very serious little boy. he knew that he was predestined to be an instrument of God in early 1659, William attended the University of Leyden for more formal education even though he was not officially enrolled. The prince showed little interest in reading great philosophers or classical literature. He was inclined to study arts, particularly painting, architecture, and gardening. 
• After almost two years in the university, the state of Holland took charge of William’s education and groomed him to be employed in the as yet undetermined state function. Most Dutch provinces had left the office of stadtholder vacant when William II died as part of the Act of Seclusion. 
• On December 23, 1660, his mother died of smallpox during her visit to her brother in London. She designated King Charles to be the prince’s legal guardian.  
• William III’s education was handled by several Dutch governesses and tutors and some of English descent, such as Walburg Howard and Cornelis Trigland. 

STADTHOLDERSHIP 

• When William III approached the age of 18, the Orangist party started attempting to bring William III to power by securing the offices of stadtholder and Captain-General. 
• However, Johan De Witt, the leader of the State Party, induced the States of Holland to issue the Perpetual Edict, which declared that the Captain-General or Admiral-General of the Netherlands could not serve as stadtholder of any province. 
• Despite their opposition, William eventually became a member of the Council of State and began his rise to power. 
• In the meantime, King Charles II allied with France to attack the Republic. This threat forced William’s opponents to allow him to assume the role of States General for the Summer in 1672.
• William III defended his country during the “Disaster Year,” where France invaded the Netherlands with its allies, including England. 
• In 1677 William III tried to end the fight through diplomatic measures. He married Mary, King Charles’s niece and daughter of James, who would later become King James II. Peace with France was declared a year later. 

THE GLORIOUS REVOLUTION

• In 1685, James II assumed the English throne after King Charles II’s death. It also meant that his daughter, Mary was the heir apparent. 
• King James II converted to Catholicism in 1669 and was married to a Catholic princess from Italy. It led to the English protestants’ concerns that they would have a Catholic heir to rule as a Catholic King. 
• William was very vocal against James II’s decisions and policies, such as not joining the anti-French associations and religious tolerations such as issuing a Declaration of Indulgence that suspended penal laws against Catholics and Protestant dissenters.
• In 1688, a group of nobles known as “Immortal Seven” sent William an invitation to invade England. 
• On November 5, William landed, unopposed, at Brixham, Devon. With him, a fleet that was both imposing and more extensive than the English had encountered during the Spanish invasion.
• King James’ health was deteriorating, suffering from terrible nose bleeds. However, he prepared for military attacks against the invading army and left London but was eventually abandoned by his men and moved to William’s side.
• James II retreated to London on November 23. He announced that he would “free” the Parliament after dissolving the previous one a year before replacing it with a new parliament that would support him. In actuality, he was making plans to flee the country for his own safety. In December, he managed to escape and fled to France. 

JOINT MONARCHY

• The Parliament allowed William III and Mary to have a joint Monarchy of England and Ireland. William III was King and the actual heir apparent, Mary, as the Queen. On April 11, 1689, they were crowned at Westminster Abbey by the Bishop of London, Henry Compton. 
• On May 11, they accepted the Scottish Crown, where William officially became William II of Scotland. For the joint monarchy to happen, they accepted restrictions from Parliament which resulted in an unprecedented shift in the distribution of power.
• The King and Queen signed the Declaration of Rights, known as the Bill of Rights, which many believed was the first step in the constitutional monarchy. 
• The Declaration consisted of several constitutional principles, including the right for Regular Parliaments, freedom of speech in Parliament, free elections, and forbade the monarchy from being a Catholic. Additionally, the regent’s power was defined, written down, and limited for the first time. 
• A series of Jacobite resistance, the minority that refused to accept their claim to the throne, tried to put James II back to the throne as they believed that the monarchs authority derived directly from God and not the Parliament. William had to fight the Roman Catholics that were loyal to James II and the Franco-Irish Jacobites in the Battle of the Boyne on July 1, 1690, in which he became victorious.
• There were also resistances in Scotland, with battles in Killiecrankie and Dunkeld and the Massacre in Glencoe that tarnished King William’s and Queen Mary’s reputation.
• William III and Mary ruled together until Mary died in 1694. After which, he became the sole ruler and monarch. They were not given any children, and after his death due to pneumonia in 1702, Mary’s sister, Princess Anne, succeeded the throne.

William of Orange Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about William of Orange across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about William of Orange who was the sovereign Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of several provinces of the Dutch Republic from 1672 to 1702, and King of England, Ireland, and Scotland from 1689-1702.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

• William of Orange Facts
• The Prince of Orange 
• The Two King of England
• The Glorious Revolution 
• William’s Crown 
• The Stadtholdership
• During the Joint Reign
• Declaration of Rights 
• Four Traits
• William’s Wisdom 
• Influencing the World

Frequently Asked Questions

How did William of Orange become king?

William’s mother was the oldest daughter of the king of England, Scotland, and Ireland. She was also the sister of two other kings. William became a prince 8 days after he was born because his father died from smallpox.

Why was William of Orange named like that?

William became King William III of England because he married his cousin Mary and was from Orange in the Dutch Republic.

Who did William of Orange fight for?

William III of Orange was chosen to be the leader of five Dutch provinces. He defended the Netherlands against France from 1672 to 1678. France tried to invade again in 1680, but William stopped them. He did not want France to become too powerful.

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