In 1688, William of Orange and his army made a triumphant march into London as this English leader fled.
George I
Charles II
Oliver Cromwell
Richard Harris
James II
James II. On December 28, 1688, William of Orange and his army made a triumphant march into London as James II fled for France. William of Orange–son of William II, Prince of Orange and Mary, daughter of Charles I of England–was fourth in line to the English throne. In November 1677, he married his cousin Mary (daughter to James, Duke of York and later the same James II who fled). James II, a Roman Catholic, supported unpopular policies that, by 1687, led to many English subjects urging William to intervene. With the birth of a son to James in 1688, fears of a Roman Catholic succession led to opponents sending an invitation to William in July. William and his forces landed in England that November and marched nearly unopposed to London. In January 1689, a specially-called parliament declared that James had abdicated and offered the throne to William and Mary. They were crowned on April 21. William ruled until 1702.
