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William II (Of Scotland) and III (Of England, 1688-1702), a Dutch prince, became joint sovereign with his wife Mary II (1688-94) - the daughter of King James - in 1689. When offered the English crown on 13 February 1689 (Scotland was not consulted), they were presented with a Declaration of Rights drafted by parliament. It stated that parliaments had to meet frequently, that elections should be free and fair, that the debates in parliament should be subject to freedom of speech and that parliamentary consent was required to levy taxation and maintain standing armies.Both monarchs accepted the terms and were subsequently crowned (similar provisions were later made for the Scottish parliament). William spent much of his reign campaigning in Ireland and later against the French at Flanders, and during his absences, Mary took charge of the government. However, she died in 1694, leaving William to continue his reign alone until his death in 1702, when he was succeeded by Anne.
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