什麼是威廉三世

William III

荷蘭語作Willem Hendrik

尼德蘭聯合省都統（1672～1702）、英格蘭國王（1689～1702）。奧蘭治親王威廉二世和英格蘭查理一世之女瑪麗之子。「退隱法」（1654）明文規定奧蘭治親王及其子孫不得擔任國家公職，此法至1660年廢除。1672年2月出任聯省共和國軍隊統帥，同年總議會推舉威廉為都統。他成功的抵抗了英格蘭的查理二世和法國國王路易十四世的入侵。1677年威廉與約克公爵詹姆斯（後來的英王詹姆斯二世）之女瑪麗結婚。當時，英王詹姆斯二世專橫暴虐，極不得人心。反對詹姆斯的一派邀請威廉進行干預，他率領荷蘭軍隊在得文登陸。1689年威廉和瑪麗成為英格蘭統治者；1694年瑪麗死後由他單獨統治。他領導歐洲反抗路易十四世，發動了大同盟戰爭（1689～1697）。在英國，他維護宗教自由和強化議會，通過的「王位繼承法」授予司法獨立。

1650～1702年

William III

Stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands (1672-1702) and king of England (1689-1702). Son of William II, Prince of Orange, and Mary, daughter of Charles I of England, he was born in The Hague soon after his father's death. The Act of Seclusion (1654) that barred the House of Orange from power in the United Provinces was rescinded in 1660, and William was appointed captain-general and named stadtholder by popular acclaim in 1672. He successfully defended his country against Charles II of England and Louis XIV of France. In 1677 he married Mary (later Queen Mary II), daughter of the English duke of York (later James II). In 1688 William was invited by James's opponents to intervene against the Catholic ruler, and he landed with a Dutch army in Devon, England. He and Mary were proclaimed joint rulers of England in 1689; he ruled alone after Mary's death in 1694. He directed the European opposition to Louis XIV, which led to the War of the Grand Alliance. In Britain he secured religious toleration and strengthened Parliament, granting independence to the judiciary in the Act of Settlement.