Profile of the Day: Mary II

On this day in 1662, Mary II, Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, was born.

Mary was born on April 30, 1662 at St. James’s Palace in London. She was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York (the future King James II and VII) and his first wife, Anne Hyde. At the age of 15, she married her first cousin, William of Orange.

Since her uncle, Charles II, had no legitimate heirs, Mary was the second in the line of succession after her father. When her uncle died in 1685, James II became king and Mary became the heir presumptive. A Catholic convert, James II’s Pro-Catholic policies created a constitutional crisis, especially after his second wife gave birth to a son. With the support of his wife, William successfully led an invasion of England and deposed of James II in what would become known as the Glorious Revolution. In 1689, William and Mary were crowned joint sovereigns of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Mary jointly ruled with her husband for five years until her death at the age of 32.

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