Mary II
Mary II was queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1689 until her death in 1694, ruling jointly with her husband, William III.
James II of England: James II was king of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1685 until he was deposed in 1688. Mary's father lost his throne after political and religious opposition turned toward his Protestant daughter and William.
William III of England: William III was king of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1689 and stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. Mary ruled jointly with her husband, whose military and political leadership often carried the governing burden.
Gilbert Burnet: Gilbert Burnet was a Scottish-born Anglican bishop and historian who supported the 1688 Revolution. He served as Mary's chaplain and helped articulate the Protestant case for her rule.
Williamite War in Ireland: The Williamite War in Ireland was a conflict from 1689 to 1691 between supporters of William III and James II. Victory in Ireland strengthened the regime Mary shared with William.
Anne of Great Britain: Anne was queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1702 and queen of Great Britain from 1707 until 1714. Mary's younger sister succeeded her after William's death and became the last Stuart monarch.
English Bill of Rights 1689: The English Bill of Rights 1689 set limits on royal authority and affirmed certain parliamentary rights. It established constitutional terms for the crown Mary and William accepted.
Henry Compton: Henry Compton was bishop of London and a prominent Anglican opponent of James II's religious policies. His support for Mary and the Revolution linked church leadership to the change of dynasty.
Female monarch: A female monarch is a woman who holds sovereign authority as a reigning ruler rather than as a consort. Mary exercised sovereign power in her own right, not merely as William's queen consort.
House of Stuart: The Stuart dynasty ruled Scotland and later England, Ireland, and Great Britain from the late sixteenth to early eighteenth centuries. Mary inherited her claim to the crowns through the Stuart dynasty.
Convention Parliament: The Convention Parliament of 1689 declared James II to have abdicated and offered the crown to William and Mary. Its decision supplied the political basis for Mary's accession.