Sole Rule Begins
William III of Orange becomes sole monarch after the death of Mary II, ending the period of joint kingship.
Role range: 1689-1702
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
William III of Orange Biography and Timeline — Page 4
Follow William III of Orange through 159 dated historical records for England.
William III of Orange, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
159Distinct records
4 of 4Page
1694–1702Years on this page
1694
Bank of England Investment
William III of Orange and Mary invest in the original Bank of England stock issue, appearing among the institution's early subscribers.
Role range: 1689-1702
1695
Siege of Namur Begins
William III of Orange leads the Allied campaign to recover Namur, one of the strongest French-held fortresses in the Spanish Netherlands.
Role range: 1688-1697 – 1689-1702
Siege of Namur
William III of Orange leads the Allied siege that recaptures Namur from the French.
Role range: 1688-1697 – 1689-1702
Namur Recaptured
William III of Orange completes the successful recapture of Namur after a major Allied siege, his most important battlefield success of the Nine Years' War.
Role range: 1688-1697 – 1689-1702
Greenwich Hospital Commission
William III of Orange advances the Greenwich Hospital project after Mary's death by authorizing arrangements for its administration and construction.
Role range: 1689-1702
1696
Association Oath
Political leaders organize an Association pledging loyalty and defence of William III of Orange after the assassination plot is exposed.
Role range: 1689-1702
Assassination Plot Discovered
A Jacobite plot to assassinate William III of Orange is uncovered, producing a major security and loyalty crisis in English politics.
Role range: 1689-1702
Stadtholder of Drenthe
William III of Orange gains the stadtholdership of Drenthe, extending his formal position within the Dutch Republic.
Role range: 1689-1702
Great Recoinage
William III of Orange's government carries out the Great Recoinage to replace badly clipped silver currency and restore confidence in English coinage.
Role range: 1689-1702
Security Act
William III of Orange assents to legislation requiring officeholders to swear loyalty after the attempted assassination conspiracy.
Role range: 1689-1702
1697
Treaty of Ryswick
The Peace of Ryswick ends the Nine Years' War, and Louis XIV recognizes William III of Orange as the legitimate King of England.
Role range: 1689-1702
Treaty of Ryswick Signed
Representatives conclude the Treaty of Ryswick, ending the Nine Years' War and securing international recognition of William III of Orange's English kingship.
Role range: 1688-1697 – 1689-1702
Ryswick Peace Negotiations
William III of Orange supports negotiations at Ryswick to end the exhausting Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance.
Role range: 1688-1697 – 1689-1702
1698
Treaty of Partition
William III of Orange agrees the First Partition Treaty with France and the Dutch Republic in an attempt to settle the Spanish succession peacefully.
Role range: 1689-1702
Civil List Settlement
Parliament settles annual Civil List revenue for William III of Orange, reinforcing the Crown's growing financial dependence on parliamentary grants.
Role range: 1689-1702
Darien Supply Restrictions
The government of William III of Orange restricts assistance from English colonies to the Scottish Darien settlement, intensifying political anger in Scotland.
Role range: 1689-1702
1699
Treaty of Partition
William III of Orange reopens partition negotiations after the death of Joseph Ferdinand destroys the first proposed settlement of the Spanish succession.
Role range: 1689-1702
Army Reduction Dispute
William III of Orange clashes with Parliament over the size of the peacetime army after the end of the Nine Years' War.
Role range: 1689-1702
Dutch Guards Disbanded
Parliament forces William III of Orange to reduce forces and remove much of his Dutch military establishment from England after the war.
Role range: 1689-1702
1700
Treaty of Partition
William III of Orange agrees the Second Partition Treaty with France and the Dutch Republic in another attempt to avoid a European succession war.
Role range: 1689-1702
Succession
The death of the Duke of Gloucester leaves the Protestant succession dangerously narrow and creates a major constitutional problem for William III of Orange.
Role range: 1689-1702
Protestant Succession Planning
William III of Orange accepts the need for a new parliamentary settlement to secure a Protestant successor after the Duke of Gloucester's death.
Role range: 1689-1702
1701
Opening of Parliament
William III of Orange opens Parliament and urges members to address European security and the unresolved succession question.
Role range: 1689-1702
Act of Settlement
William III of Orange gives royal assent to the Act of Settlement, which secures the future English succession in the Protestant House of Hanover.
Role range: 1689-1702
Judicial Tenure Reform
William III of Orange assents to the Act of Settlement, including provisions that strengthen the security of judicial tenure.
Role range: 1689-1702
SPG Royal Charter
William III of Orange grants a royal charter to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.
Role range: 1689-1702
Grand Alliance Negotiations
William III of Orange directs negotiations for a renewed European alliance as the Spanish succession crisis moves toward war.
Role range: 1701-1714 – 1689-1702
Grand Alliance
William III of Orange joins England with the Dutch Republic and the Habsburg monarchy in the Grand Alliance formed at The Hague.
Role range: 1701-1714 – 1689-1702
Response to Stuart Recognition
William III of Orange condemns Louis XIV's recognition of James Francis Edward Stuart as the rightful English king.
Role range: 1689-1702
Parliament Summoned
William III of Orange summons a new Parliament as the European crisis and the French recognition of the Stuart claimant intensify.
Role range: 1689-1702
Parliamentary Response to Stuart Claim
William III of Orange urges Parliament to respond firmly after Louis XIV recognizes James Francis Edward Stuart as king of England and Scotland.
Role range: 1689-1702
Hampton Court Privy Garden
William III of Orange completes major work on the formal Privy Garden at Hampton Court, part of his extensive transformation of the palace and grounds.
Role range: 1689-1702
War Preparations against France
William III of Orange coordinates military and diplomatic preparations with allies as a new European war against Bourbon expansion becomes increasingly likely.
Role range: 1701-1714 – 1689-1702
1702
Riding Accident
William III of Orange suffers a serious riding accident near Hampton Court when his horse falls, breaking his collarbone.
Role range: 1689-1702
Broken Collarbone
William III of Orange breaks his collarbone in the riding accident that precedes his final decline in health.
Role range: 1689-1702
Death of William III
William III of Orange dies at Kensington Palace and is succeeded in England by his sister-in-law, Anne.
Role range: 1689-1702
Succession to Anne Prepared
As William III of Orange's final illness worsens, the established succession makes Anne the next Protestant monarch of England.
Role range: 1689-1702
Final Illness
William III of Orange's health deteriorates after the riding accident, with complications contributing to his death at Kensington Palace.
Role range: 1689-1702
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.