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 1650 - 1702 (51 years)
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| Name |
William III |
| Suffix |
King of England, Ireland and Scotland |
| Birth |
4 Nov 1650 |
Binnenhof, The Hague, Holland  [1, 2] |
| Gender |
Male |
| Religion |
Calvinism [2] |
| Death |
8 Mar 1702 |
Kensington Palace, London, England [2] |
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| Burial |
12 Apr 1702 |
Westminster Abbey, 20 Deans Yd, London SW1P 3PA, United Kingdom [2] |
| Person ID |
I45587 |
The Hennessee Family |
| Last Modified |
17 Feb 2018 |
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| Notes |
- William III (Dutch: Willem; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702),[2] also widely known as William of Orange, was sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 1672 and King of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1689 until his death in 1702. As King of Scotland, he is known as William II.[3] He is sometimes informally known in Northern Ireland and Scotland as "King Billy".[4]
William inherited the principality of Orange from his father, William II, who died a week before William's birth. His mother, Mary, was the daughter of King Charles I of England. In 1677, he married his fifteen-year-old first cousin, Mary, the daughter of his maternal uncle James, Duke of York.
A Protestant, William participated in several wars against the powerful Catholic king of France, Louis XIV, in coalition with Protestant and Catholic powers in Europe. Many Protestants heralded him as a champion of their faith. In 1685, his Catholic father-in-law, James, Duke of York, became king of England, Ireland and Scotland. James's reign was unpopular with the Protestant majority in Britain. William, supported by a group of influential British political and religious leaders, invaded England in what became known as the "Glorious Revolution". On 5 November 1688, he landed at the southern English port of Brixham. James was deposed and William and Mary became joint sovereigns in his place. They reigned together until her death on 28 December 1694, after which William ruled as sole monarch.
William's reputation as a staunch Protestant enabled him to take power in Britain when many were fearful of a revival of Catholicism under James. William's victory at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 is still commemorated by loyalists in Northern Ireland and Scotland. His reign in Britain marked the beginning of the transition from the personal rule of the Stuarts to the more Parliament-centred rule of the House of Hanover.
end of this biography [2]
- The so-called ‘Immortal Seven’ – seven of the most powerful men in the kingdom – invited William of Orange to invade England. Why? William had royal blood connections (his mother was a Stuart) and he was married to James’s eldest daughter, Mary. William landed in Torbay in November 1688 (pictured below), James II fled, and in early 1689, William and Mary became the first diarchy [a form of government in which two individuals – diarchs – are joint heads of state] in British history.
end of comment
THE IMMORTAL SEVEN (https://braceofpistols.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/the-immortal-seven/)
The Immortal Seven were the seven individuals who put their name to the formal letter of invitation sent on the 30th of June, 1688, to William of Orange requesting that he make the necessary preparations to depose James II. Together they represented a broad selection of the highest level of English society, sufficient to convince William of Orange that he would enjoy a suitably wide degree of support from across the country.
On the afternoon of the 30th June 1688 seven men sat down to put their names to a formal letter of invitation to William of Orange.
“…the people are so generally dissatisfied with the present conduct of the government in relation to their religion, liberties and properties (all which have been greatly invaded), and they are in such expectation of their prospects being daily worse, that Your Highness may be assured there are nineteen parts of twenty of the people throughout the kingdom who are desirous of a change.”
None of the seven were so foolish as to actually sign their names to the invitation itself, but rather identified themselves by a secret code, a two digit number (that follows their names below). The letter was duly carried to the Netherlands by Arthur Herbert, the Earl of Torrington (discreetly referred to as Mr H within the letter) and had the desired effect as William of Orange ordered the necessary military and naval preparations for his invasion of Britain.
All seven of these gentlemen received their due rewards when William of Orange and his wife Mary became settled in as William and Mary.
These seven men were thereafter known as the Immortal Seven:
The Earl of Devonshire, William Cavendish (24)
Whig; House of Commons from 1661 to 1684
leader of the anti-court and anti-Catholic party
Age: 50
son of William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire
inherited his father’s peerage as Earl of Devonshire
one of the wealthiest landowners in the country
After the revolution, Cavendish is a leading Whig, serving as William’s Lord Steward
The Lord Lumley, Richard Lumley (29)
Age: 40
The Lumleys were an ancient family from the north of England
son of John Lumley; grandson of Richard Lumley, 1st Viscount Lumley
played a prominent part in the suppression of the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth
personally responsible (according to John Evelyn) for Monmouth’s arrest
wife: Frances Jones, daughter of Sir Henry Jones of Oxford
Secured Newcastle for William in December 1688
appointed by William in rapid succession (1689-90) as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber, a member of the Privy Council, Colonel of the 1st Troop of Horse Guards, Viscount Lumley of Lumley Castle, Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland and Lord Lieutenant of Durham
Lumley is created Earl of Scarbrough on 15 April 1690
The Earl of Danby, Thomas Osborne (27)
Tory
Age: 58
Impeached and disgraced member of Parliament with nearly no supporters he could rely on
Spent nearly five years in the Tower of London following his impeachment
A number of pamphlets asserting his complicity in the Popish Plot, and even accusing him of the murder of Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, were published in 1679 and 1680
following his imprisonment and release, returned to the House of Lords as a leader in the Tory party
Driven to opposition by King James’ attacks on Protestantism
Thought that William would not claim the crown
Supported the succession of Mary
This met with little support
rejected both by William and by Mary herself
voted against the regency and joined with Halifax and the Commons in declaring the prince and princess joint sovereigns.
April 1689 created Marquess of Carmarthen
made lord-lieutenant of the three ridings of Yorkshire
greatly disliked by the Whigs
given the nickname the “White” marquess in allusion to his sickly appearance
February 1689: appointed to the post of Lord President of the Council
could not conceal his vexation and disappointment
increased by the appointment of Halifax as Lord Privy Seal (Treasurer Position that he had held before his disgrace).
The antagonism between the “black” and the “white” marquess revived in all its bitterness.
retired to the country and was seldom present at the council.
In June and July, motions were made in Parliament for his removal
In 1690: Halifax’s retires in 1690
Once again again acquired the post of Lord Treasurer
In 1690, appointed Mary’s chief advisor
The Earl of Shrewsbury, Charles Talbot (25)
Age: 30
crossed to Holland to join William
contributed towards defraying the expenses of the projected invasion
landed with him in England in November 1688 during the Glorious Revolution
appointed Secretary of State for the Southern Department
1690: resigned from office when the Tories gained control of Parliament
There is evidence that he had made overtures to the Jacobites after his resignation
in correspondence with James at his court in exile at Saint Germains
some evidence that these relations were entered upon with William’s full connivance
Others claim Shrewsbury was unaware of the King’s knowledge and toleration which would explain the terrified letters he was in the habit of penning to him.
Regardless, although often presented with evidence against him, William affected to have no suspicion of Shrewsbury’s loyalty
The Bishop of London, Henry Compton (31)
Tory
Age: 58
important figure about London
a successful botanist
Published:
several theological works
the Life of Donna Olympia Maladichini (1667)
translated from Italian
governed the Church during the time of Pope Innocent X (1644 to 1655)
the Jesuits’ Intrigues (1669)
translated from French
A book on the Invisible World and the supernatural
published under a pseudonym
liberal in his views about Protestants; strong bias against Catholics
February 1685: Lost his seat in the council and position as Dean of the Chapel Royal on the accession of James II
suspended by James’s Court of High Commission in mid-1686.
for his firmness in refusing to suspend John Sharp
rector of St Giles’s-in-the-Fields
anti-papal preaching had rendered him obnoxious to the king
The suspension was lifted in September 1688, two days before the High Commission was abolished
embraced the cause of William and Mary,
performed the ceremony of their coronation
his old position was restored to him
Appointed to the Privy Council; serves as an advisor to the King and Queen of England, an office that he has had before
chosen as one of the commissioners for revising the liturgy
end of comment [3]
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| Sources |
- [S9254] "Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange" biography, retrieved March 18, 2016 by David A. Hennessee, https://en.wiki.
- [S9255] "William III of England", biography, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_III_of_England, retrieved March 18, 2016 by D.
- [S13210] "12 facts about the Stuarts", from "History Extra", by Andrea Zuvich, https://www.historyextra.com/period/stuart/facts-a.
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