The Ascension of William and Mary, Britain’s First Co-Monarchs, Marked a Victory for Protestantism

When William and Mary assumed the British throne on February 13, 1689, they became Great Britain’s first co-monarchs. Their story of leadership and love was anything but conventional, but the duo have been remembered as steadfast rulers and true lovebirds. Their monarchy returned England, Scotland and Ireland to Protestant rule, marking an era of more limited sovereign power.

Mary was born into a family rich with power and drama. Her uncle was Charles II, a Protestant who ruled over England, Scotland and Ireland. Her father, a devout Catholic, later took the throne as James II. Mary and her sister Anne were raised Protestants, putting them at odds with their father but in favor with the English people.

William of Orange was Dutch and, by birth, was the sovereign Prince of Orange. He was also a Protestant, and his early reign was marked by various campaigns against France’s Catholic Louis XIV.

13th February 1689: William and Mary become co-regents after agreeing to the Declaration of Right

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Like many royal spouses, William and Mary were cousins. They were introduced in 1677 when he was 27 years old and she was just 15. Though he immediately asked for her hand in marriage, the start of their union was not a love story. Mary was devastated that she would have to leave England for her husband’s home in Holland. Accounts of their brief wedding ceremony note that the young bride wept the entire time.

But Mary’s love for William quickly grew—along with her power. When Charles II died in 1685, Mary’s father assumed the throne. But his Catholic faith made him immediately unpopular with many of his subjects, as did his abuses of power. Intent on consolidating authority under the crown, James II dissolved Parliament and sought to give Catholics preferential treatment. These acts led to the Glorious Revolution and, ultimately, his deposition.

After James II deserted his post as king, Parliament sought to prevent a return of the turbulence—and Catholicism—that had accompanied his reign. The legislative body drafted a Declaration of Rights, making British monarchs essentially financially dependent on Parliament and blocking them from interfering with elections. In 1689, Parliament offered William and Mary the chance to serve as co-monarchs. It would be the first time a British queen and king ruled with equal power.

Because they were Protestants, their rule was immediately considered a victory by the majority.

Mary leaned into her religious roots during her reign, prioritizing education initiatives and religious reform in both England and its colonies. The pair chartered the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, to educate Anglican ministers, and they guaranteed religious freedoms for Protestants.

William prioritized shoring up England’s resources against France and defending his reign against the Jacobites, who were aligned with his deposed father-in-law. He was often absent from England, embarking on military campaigns in France, Ireland and Scotland. This left Mary as the day-to-day monarch, navigating matters of Parliament and the royal cabinet.

However, the queen’s reign was cut short when she died of smallpox at just 32 years old in 1694. William stayed on the throne until 1702, when he died of pneumonia at age 51.

William and Mary had a relatively short reign, but they left an outsized impact on the dynamics of the monarchy. The Declaration of Rights they signed ensures that Parliament is still supreme over the royal family—and the United Kingdom has never had a Catholic monarch since.

Sarah Holzmann | READ MORE

Sarah Holzmann is a freelance writer from the Arlington, Virginia, area.