The future Mary II of England marries William, Prince of Orange; they later jointly reign as William and Mary.

Their marriage was politically significant and played a major role in the history of both England and the Netherlands.

Marriage: Mary married her first cousin, William III, Prince of Orange, on November 4, 1677. The marriage was partly arranged by her father, James, Duke of York (later James II of England), and her uncle, King Charles II, as a way to strengthen alliances with the Protestant Dutch Republic.

Co-Monarchs: In 1688, during the Glorious Revolution, William and Mary were invited by prominent English nobles to overthrow her father, King James II, who was a Catholic. The revolution was largely peaceful, leading to James’s exile. In 1689, they jointly assumed the throne as William III and Mary II, marking the only time in English history that the country had joint monarchs.

Significance: Their reign marked a turning point toward constitutional monarchy in England, as they accepted the Bill of Rights in 1689, limiting the power of the monarchy and laying foundational principles for British parliamentary democracy.