Mary II belonged to the House of Stuart. Born in 1662, she ascended to the throne in 1688 and died in 1694. She was preceded as monarch by James II and ruled jointly with William III.
Mary was the older of the two Protestant daughters of James II. She married William of Orange, the chief executive of the Dutch Republic. During the Glorious Revolution, Parliament offered the throne to William and Mary to reign jointly. Mary died of smallpox in 1694 and William remained on the throne until his death in 1702, at which point the throne passed to Mary's younger sister, who became Queen Anne.
