Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg)
The Grand Alliance, sometimes erroneously referred to as its precursor the League of Augsburg, was formed on 20 December 1689. Signed by William III on behalf of the Dutch Republic and England, and Emperor Leopold I for the Habsburg Monarchy, its primary purpose was to oppose the expansionist policies of Louis XIV of France.
The architect of the Alliance, William III, Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic and King of England, Scotland and Ireland
The persecution of French Huguenots and his expansionist policies meant Protestant states like the Dutch Republic saw Louis XIV of France as a threat
Battle of Lagos (1693); the loss of Dutch and English merchant ships caused huge financial losses and increased opposition to the war
William III, also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the 1670s, and King of England, Ireland, and Scotland from 1689 until his death in 1702. As King of Scotland, he is known as William II. He ruled Britain and Ireland alongside his wife, Queen Mary II, and their joint reign is known as that of William and Mary.
Portrait by Godfrey Kneller, c. 1690
William's parents, William II of Orange and Mary, Princess Royal, 1647
The young prince portrayed by Jan Davidsz de Heem and Jan Vermeer van Utrecht within a flower garland filled with symbols of the House of Orange-Nassau, c. 1660
Johan de Witt took over William's education in 1666.
