William III of England

:For other men named William of Orange, see William of Orange (disambiguation)

Early reign

William II held the office of Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland and Overijssel. All five provinces, however, suspended the office of Stadtholder upon William II's death. During the "First Stadtholderless Era," power was de facto held by Johan de Witt. In about 1667, as William III approached the age of eighteen, the pro-Orange party attempted to restore the Prince to power by securing for him the offices of Stadtholder and Captain-General. So as to prevent the restoration of the influence of the House of Orange, de Witt procured the issuance of the Eternal Edict (or Perpetual Edict), which declared that the Captain-General or Admiral-General of the Netherlands could not serve as Stadtholder in any province. Furthermore, the province of Holland abolished the very office of Stadtholder. (Other provinces soon followed suit.)

Related Topics:
Stadtholder - Holland - Zeeland - Utrecht - Gelderland - Overijssel - Johan de Witt - 1667 - Eternal Edict

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The year 1672 proved calamitous for the Netherlands, becoming known as the "disaster year." France, under Louis XIV, invaded the Netherlands; the French also had the aid of the English and of some German allies. The great French army quickly overran most of the Netherlands, though Holland managed to remain safe. De Witt failed to secure peace with France, and was overthrown. (Afterwards, he and his brother, Cornelis de Witt, were brutally murdered by an angry mob in The Hague.) Today, most historians assume that William was involved in the murder. The victory for the Orange party was complete; the Eternal Edict was declared void, and William was elected Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht. He was also appointed Captain-General and Admiral-General of the Netherlands. Gelderland and Overijssel, which already had a relative of William's for Stadtholder, did not elect William to the post until 1675.

Related Topics:
1672 - Cornelis de Witt - 1675

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William III continued to fight against the invaders from England and France (see Third Anglo-Dutch War), afterwards allying himself with Spain. After admiral Michiel de Ruyter had defeated the English navy, William made peace with the nation he would later come to rule, England, in 1674. To strengthen his position, he endeavoured to marry his first cousin Mary, the daughter of James, Duke of York (the future James II). The marriage occurred on 4 November 1677; the union was an unhappy one and fruitless. Finding a war with both England and the Netherlands disadvantageous, the King of France, Louis XIV, made peace in 1678. Louis, however, continued his aggression, leading William III to join the League of Augsburg (an anti-French coalition which also included the Holy Roman Empire, Sweden, Spain and several German states) in 1686.

Related Topics:
Third Anglo-Dutch War - Spain - Admiral - Michiel de Ruyter - 1674 - 4 November - 1677 - 1678 - League of Augsburg - Holy Roman Empire - Sweden - German - 1686

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In 1685, William's father-in-law came to the English Throne as James II, a Roman Catholic who was unpopular in his Protestant realms. William attempted to conciliate James, who he hoped would join the League of Augsburg, whilst at the same time trying not to offend the Protestant party in England. But by 1687, it became clear that James II would not join the League. To gain the favour of English Protestants, William expressed his disapproval of James's religious policies. Seeing him as a friend, many English politicians began to negotiate an armed invasion of England.

Related Topics:
1685 - 1687

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