William and Mary of England
Name of Monarch and Family Name: William the First prince of Orange/ William the Third king of England
Dates of Reign and Country: 1689-1702
Birth Dates: 1650
Death Dates: 1702
About Marriage: William and Mary were first cousins, and had an arranged marriage by Charles the Second for foreign policy reasons. They also had no children.
Achievements
One great achievement of William and Mary was the Glorious Revolution of invading England in 1689 and replacing King James the second, Mary's father. Another achievement of William and Mary was becoming joint king and queen in 1689. Shortly after becoming joint king and queen, James the second, father of Mary, attempted to take back his throne in 1690. This battle took place in River Boyne on the east coast of Ireland. This became another achievement of William and Mary because they defeated James's army and claimed victory of the battle of Boyne. One last achievement of William and Mary was getting a college now located in Williamsburg Virginia named after them, College of William and Mary.
Policies Enacted to Achieve Goals
To achieve their goals William and Mary created two policies. One policy was they gave the king and officers power to control the army. Another was the grand alliance William formed between England, Holland, and Australia to prevent the union from the French, and Spanish crowns from uniting.
Monarch's Approach to Government, What They Were Trying to Accomplish
William and Mary were asked by parliament to replace James the Second due to religious struggles and English fears of Catholic rule. They were required to sign a constitution called the English Bill of Rights. They govern strictly according to the constitution which had two different parts. The first part was a list of all the wrongs committed by King James the second. The second part was the 13 clauses that specified new limits to loyal power and authority. William and Mary were the first European Monarchs to be limited by laws. Also, the Act of Succession was passed by parliment preventing Catholics from succeeding to throne which was one of William and Mary's attempts at making England more powerful in Europe.