William (III) (Prince of Orange)

William III (1650–1702), Prince of Orange, was a Dutch statesman and soldier who became Stadtholder of several Dutch provinces and later King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. In 1688 he led the invasion that helped bring about the Glorious Revolution, after which he and his wife Mary II ruled jointly in England. His reign was marked by conflict with Louis XIV of France, including the Nine Years’ War, and by the consolidation of parliamentary government through measures such as the Bill of Rights (1689). William is linked to political texts chiefly through royal proclamations, speeches, and state papers rather than literary works.