Full name:  William III Born:  14th November 1650 Place of Birth:  Binnenhof, Netherlands Ascended to the throne:  13th February 1689, aged 38 years Crowned:  11th April 1689, at Westminster Abbey Reign:  13 years Died:  8th March 1702, Kensington Palace, London

William was born 14th November 1650, the son of William II and Mary.

From an early age, William was prepared to lead the House of Orange.

In 1673, William drove the invading Catholic army of Louis XIV, of France out of the Dutch Republic.

William married his cousin, Mary, in 1677. The marriage was encouraged because they were both protestant, increasing the chances of a protestant ruler.

James, Mary's father, became king in 1685, and England had a Catholic ruler. When James had a son, many encouraged William to invade, because they feared another Catholic leader.

William invaded England. The army and navy abandoned James, and he was left with no choice but to flee the country.

His fleeing was seen as voluntary abdication of the throne. In 1689, William and Mary became the first joint monarchs of England, an event known as the 'Glorious Revolution'.

They could not rule with the same amount of power as monarchs before them due to the 'Bill of Rights', which was an important part of how our current system of parliament was formed.

James tried to take back the throne in 1689, but was defeated by William in 1690, in the Battle of Boyne.

For eight years, William left Mary to rule alone whilst he was away fighting.

In 1694, Mary died of smallpox. William was heartbroken, and left to rule alone.

When William died on the 8th March 1702 with no children, it was also the end of the House of Orange.