I
Dutch Willem Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijk
born Feb. 19, 1817, Brussels, Belg.
died Nov. 23, 1890, Apeldoorn, Neth.
King of The Netherlands and grand duke of Luxembourg (1849–90).
Son of William II , he succeeded to the throne on his father's death in 1849. Opposed to the liberal constitution of 1848, he adopted an anti-Catholic posture and from 1862 to 1868 was able to rule through the cabinet. He tried to sell his sovereignty over Luxembourg to France (1867) but yielded to Prussia's demand that the area be independent. Following this crisis, his influence over parliament declined. On his death, he was succeeded by his daughter, Wilhelmina .
II
Dutch Willem Hendrik
born Nov. 14, 1650, The Hague, United Provinces of the Netherlands
died March 19, 1702, London, Eng.
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 Stuart, 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 The Act of Seclusion (1654) that barred the house of Orange from power in the United Provinces was rescinded in 1660, and William was appointed captain general and named stadtholder by popular acclaim in 1672.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, Eng. 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 eventually led to the War of the Grand Alliance after William's death. In Britain he secured religious toleration and strengthened Parliament, granting independence to the judiciary in the Act of Settlement .