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Portrait of William III of England. Photo by Godfrey Kneller-

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about William III England

William III was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zealand, Utrecht, Guelders and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the 1670s, and King of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1689 until he died in 1702.

He is best known as a persistent enemy of Louis XIV of France. He spent most of his adult life fighting French encroachment in the Rhine Valley and formed various alliances against his arch-nemesis.

William III was involved in four wars, including; the Franco-Dutch war, the War of the Spanish Succession, the Williamite War of Ireland and the War of the Grand Alliance. In each war, he defeated the protestant cause against the interest of Catholic Monarchies.

Learn more about William III of England in these top 10 remarkable facts.

1. William III Was the Only Child

William III was born on November 4, 1650, in The Hague in the Dutch Republic and baptized William Henry (in Dutch: Willem Hendrick). He was the only child of Mary Princess Royal and Stadtholder William III, Prince of Orange.

His mother was the eldest daughter of King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland and sister of King Charles II and King James II and VII. William III father died before his birth. Thus, William was the sovereign Prince of Orange from his birth.

After his birth, there was a conflict regarding his naming between his mother, paternal grandmother, Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, but they settled on giving him William. Mother-in-law insisted on the name to strengthen his prospect of becoming Stadtholder.

There was also a conflict of his guardianship and  on August 13, 1651. The Hoge Raad Van Holland en Zeeland (supreme court) ruled that guardianship to be shared between his mother, his paternal grandmother and Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg.

2. A Brief History of William III Education

Portrait of H.M. King William III of England. Photo by Thomas Murray-

William’s first education started with several Dutch governesses. Some are of English descent and Scottish noblewoman, lady Anna Mackenzie. From 1656 he received daily instruction in the Reformed religion from the Calvinist preacher Cornelis Trigland, a follower of the Contra-Remonstrant theologian Gisbertus Voetius.

He was groomed on how to carry the responsibilities of the House of Orange-Nassau. Between 1659 to 1666, William attended the university of Leiden for formal education under the guidance of ethics professor Hedrick Bornius; he never officially enrolled as a student.

William’s mother died of smallpox, on her will, she asked her brother King Charles II to take care of William. This created friction between the Dutch official and the royalty of England. Johan de Will, the grand pensionary of the Dutch court, took control of his education and taught him about state matters.

3. He Was Appointed to the Dutch Post of Stadtholder in 1672

In 1672, William became the Stadtholder of the main provinces of the Dutch Republic. This post had become hereditary in the Williams family.

1672 was known as the Rampjaar ( disaster year) because, in the Franco-Dutch war, the Third Anglo-Dutch war, the Netherlands was invaded by France and its allies England, Minister and cologne.

William headed the Dutch army and drove away to invading forces of Catholic King Louis XIV and the French army gradually withdrew after 1673.

4. William Marriage was a Political Marriage

William III and Mary I. Photo sourced from

During the France war with France, William tried to improve his position by marrying on November 4, 1677. He married his first cousin Mary, the eldest surviving daughter of James the Duke of York, who later became King James II of England.

It was a political marriage; he believed marrying Mary would increase his chances of succeeding in Charlie’s kingdom and draw England’s monarch away from his pre-French policies.

Mary was 12 years younger than William; she conceived soon after marriage but miscarried. After a further illness later in 1678, she never conceived again.

Throughout William and Mary’s marriage, William had only one repeated mistress, Elizabeth Villiers, in contrast to the many mistresses his uncles openly kept.

5. He Won the Battle of the Boyne

The Battle of the Boyne was a battle war in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II of England and Ireland, VII of Scotland and those of King William II, who with his wife Queen Mary II had acceded to the crowns of England and Scotland in 1689.

William won the battle after James failed to regain the British crown and ultimately aided in ensuring the continued protestant ascending in Ireland.

William’s victory at the Boyne in 1690 is commemorated by Unionists, who display Orange colours in his honour.

6. William III of England Ruled Together with his Wife

William III and Mary I. Photo sourced from

The Glorious Revolution was successful, and it saw King James II deposed from his position with William allowing him to flee the country not to see him used as a martyr for the catholic cause.

William summoned a convention parliament on January 2, 1689, which decided through a whig majority that the throne was vacant and safer to allow a protestant to assume the role.

William III of England and his wife Mary II reigned as joint sovereigns until her death. After Mary’s death, William became the sole ruler and monarch.

7. He Led the War in Europe

The war is known as the nine years war, a conflict comprising the Williamite war in Ireland and Jacobite rising in Scotland. William III and James II struggled for control of England and Ireland and a campaign in colonial North America between French and English Settlers and their respective native American allies.

William continued to absent himself from Britain for extended periods during his nine years (1688-1697) against France leaving each spring and returning to England each autumn.

Louis XIV also recognized William III as the rightful King of England, while the Dutch acquired a barrier fortress system in the Spanish Netherlands to help secure their borders.

8. He was a Protestant

William III was a protestant form of Christianity that followed the tenets of the protestant Reformation. The protestant William participated in several wars against the powerful catholic French ruler Louis XIV in coalition with protestant and catholic power in Europe.

9. William Was Rumored of Homosexuality

Portrait of William III of England. Photo sourced from

During the 1690s, rumors grew of William’s alleged homosexual inclinations and led to the publication of many satirical pamphlets by his Jacobite detractors.

He had close male associates to whom he granted English titles. Hans Willem Bentinck became Earl of Portland and Arnold Joost Van Keppel was Earl of Albemarle.

Those relationships with male friends and his apparent lack of a mistress led his enemies to suggest that he might prefer homosexual relationships. William strongly dismissed those allegations.

10. William III Died in 1702 of Pneumonia

He died in 1702 of pneumonia caused by a complication from a broken collarbone following a fall from his horse, Sorrel.

Rumors said that the horse had been confiscated for Sir John Fenwick, one of the Jacobite who had conspired against William. Because his horse had stumbled into a moles burrow, many Jacobite toasted the little gentleman in the black velvet waistcoat.

William was buried in Westminster Abbey alongside his wife. His death meant he would remain the only Dutch House of Orange member to reign over England.