William III Known as “William of Orange.” 1650-1702. King of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1689-1702), Dutch stadholder (1672-1702), and prince of Orange. Married to Mary, daughter of James II, he was asked by the opponents of James to invade England (1688) and was proclaimed joint monarch with Mary (1689) after James fled.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.William III n (Biography) known as William of Orange. 1650?1702, stadholder of the Netherlands (1672?1702) and king of Great Britain and Ireland (1689?1702). He was invited by opponents of James II to accept the British throne (1688) and ruled jointly with his wife Mary II (James’ daughter) until her death in 1694 Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014