
Dutch prince who became king of England after the Glorious Revolution.
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William III landed at Torbay with a Dutch army of 15,000 men. He marched on London as James II's army disintegrated. James fled to France, and William was invited by Parliament to take the throne. This invasion established Protestant succession and parliamentary supremacy.
William III led England into the Nine Years' War against France under Louis XIV. He fought campaigns in the Spanish Netherlands and Ireland. The war ended with the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697, which recognized William as king of England.
William III accepted the Bill of Rights, which prohibited the monarch from suspending laws, levying taxes without Parliament, or maintaining a standing army in peacetime. This document established constitutional monarchy in England and limited royal prerogative.
William III personally led his army to victory over James II's forces at the River Boyne in Ireland. This battle secured Protestant control of Ireland and solidified William's throne. It remains a key event in Irish Protestant history.
William III died of pneumonia following a fall from his horse. He was buried in Westminster Abbey. His death ended the Stuart line and passed the throne to Mary's sister Anne, as William had no surviving children.
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