William was the son of William II, Prince of Orange, and Mary, daughter of Charles I; and he married Mary, daughter of James II who eventually succeeded to the English throne. Protestants invited William to England to defend their religion when James, a Catholic, had a son thereby ensuring Catholic succession. William arrived in England with an army in 1688, and when James fled, William was declared king. He was supported by the Protestant inhabitants of Ireland. He sent reinforcements to Derry and Enniskillen and a large army under Schomberg, and he himself landed at Carrickfergus in 1690. James was already in the country and their respective armies eventually faced each other across the River Boyne, where James was defeated. William marched south, and after setting up headquarters in Finglas, captured Waterford and tried to take Limerick. He then returned to England, leaving his army to fight on his behalf. It achieved a number of successes, most notably at Aughrim on the 12th July, 1691. Limerick was finally taken, and a settlement was arranged by treaty. When parliament met in Dublin in 1692, William was recognised as the lawful sovereign of Ireland.

Born:	14 November 1650
Died:	8 March 1702