King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1689 to 1702; Stadholder of Holland from 1672 to 1702. Because of his marriage to Mary, daughter of the duke of York (later James II), he was invited to become king of England in 1688 when the English feared that they might have a long succession of Catholic soverigns. He became joint sovereign of England with Mary in 1689 and sole sovereign after her death in 1694. He died without issue and the throne passed to Anne, the last of the Stuarts.